Satara, Jan 2 : Amid the ongoing election process for the 29 municipal corporations, the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday clarified that in Maharashtra, only and strictly Marathi is mandatory.

He further noted that the tendency to oppose Indian languages while rolling out the red carpet for foreign languages is not right.

He explained that Marathi will remain the only mandatory language in school education within the state.

â??No other Indian language will be compulsory; they will remain optional. The decision regarding the grade from which other languages should be introduced will be taken after receiving the report from the committee chaired by Dr Narendra Jadhav. Marathi is not just a medium of communication; it is the soul of Maharashtra,â?? said Fadnavis while speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the 99th Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan (All India Marathi Literary Meet).

His clarification comes when the Shiv Sena UBT, led by Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, founded by Raj Thackeray, joined hands in July last year, opposing the state governmentâ??s move to introduce Hindi as a third language in addition to Marathi and English from grade one.

In the wake of strong protests, the government withdrew its two government resolutions in this regard, saying that Hindi is an optional while Marathi is compulsory in the state.

The Chief Minister said that Marathi has always been a classical language, adding that the Narendra Modi government has provided it with Classical Language Status for Marathi.

"Now, we must work to ensure this language gains public acceptance across all of India," he added.

He added that â??while we welcome foreign languages like English, French, and German, we tend to oppose Indian languages. This approach is incorrect; while we must respect our own mother tongue, we should also remain open to welcoming other languages.â??

He credited the Warkari sect and Saint literature for truly enriching Marathi literature.

"Marathi is a language that connects hearts. It is not just a language of devotion but a language of values," he remarked, adding that the role of writers is to provide direction to society and protect democratic expression within the literary world.

The Chief Minister stated that literature that remains loyal to the soil of Maharashtra while centring history, society, and humanity is the true identity of Marathi letters.

He reminded the audience that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj gave Marathi its administrative status by creating the Rajyavyavahar Kosh (Administrative Lexicon).

He emphasised that the government is committed to the conservation of the Marathi language.

/IANS