Take a leaf out of the Tamil Conference, urges Raj

Impressed by the Tamil Conference held recently, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Sunday lamented that such efforts were not being made in Maharashtra for Marathi language.

"I was impressed by the way the Tamil conference was held. The government spent Rs 315 crore and it was a disciplined programme. But our Marathi conferences whether for literature or drama always end up in controversy," Raj said in Mumbai, on the sidelines of a book-release function.

Criticising the Marathi literature and drama conferences, Raj said, in the Tamil conference, Oscar winner musician A R Raheman and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi sat together on a dice. But there was no issue made out of it.

Unfortunately, in our literature and drama conferences, there is always a squabble over some or the other thing.

"Why can't we come together for Marathi forgetting the differences among us," he asked. Raj also ridiculed granting of Rs 10 crore for the newly started Marathi Language Department by the state government. The funds would be spent on laying of foundation stone ceremony only, he observed.

Referring to neglect of Marathi language by politicians, Raj said a school started by D Y Patil in the name of Union Minister Sharad Pawar does not teach Marathi after Standard 1V.