‘Will beat them’: Amit Thackeray warns cab drivers over Marathi, targets Fadnavis

MNS leader Amit Thackeray targets cab drivers and CM Devendra Fadnavis amid Maharashtra’s ongoing Marathi language mandate controversy

PGurus Newsdesk

August 28, 2026

A tense political visual showing Amit Thackeray, a Mumbai taxi and Maharashtra’s Marathi language debate, without any text

MNS leader steps up attack as Maharashtra gives cab drivers one year to learn Marathi

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Amit Thackeray has warned auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers in Maharashtra against speaking only in Hindi or behaving rudely with passengers, saying his party would take action against them. His remarks came amid the ongoing controversy over the state’s Marathi language requirement for commercial passenger vehicle drivers.

Thackeray, son of MNS chief Raj Thackeray, said drivers who insisted on speaking Hindi or troubled passengers would face retaliation. He also objected to people telling residents that they had to speak Hindi, saying MNS would insist on Marathi in Maharashtra.

Amit Thackeray targets Fadnavis

The MNS leader also criticised Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis after the state government granted auto-rickshaw, taxi and cab drivers one year to learn functional Marathi. Fadnavis said the extension was granted after representatives of driver organisations sought more time, citing the varied age groups and educational backgrounds of people working in the sector.

Thackeray linked the extension to the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections and accused the government of giving political considerations greater importance than the Marathi language issue.

The Maharashtra government had earlier made practical knowledge of Marathi mandatory for commercial passenger vehicle drivers, including auto-rickshaw, taxi and app-based cab drivers. Four cab drivers have challenged the requirement in the Bombay High Court, arguing that it violates fundamental rights and goes beyond the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act.

Under the amended rules, drivers who fail to demonstrate working knowledge of Marathi could face suspension of their driving licence authorisation, while repeated violations could lead to cancellation of permits.

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