Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has asked the Indian Banks Association (IBA) to ensure that banks comply with the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) directives mandating the use of Marathi in their services or else his party will intensify its agitation.
In a letter to the IBA on Wednesday, MNS leaders conveyed Thackeray's message stating that banks must adhere to the three-language formula — English, Hindi, and the regional language Marathi (in Maharashtra) — in all their services.
MNS will intensify its agitation
"You give necessary instructions to the banks to use Marathi (in its services) or else MNS will intensify its agitation and after that the law and order responsibility lies with the concerned banks," Thackeray said in the letter to the IBA.
The letter stated that the Reserve Bank of India had issued a circular over the use of regional languages in public sector and private banks. "Accordingly, the boards in the banks should be in three languages --- Hindi, English and the regional language of that state. Even the services should be in three languages," the letter said.
This development follows Thackeray's decision on Saturday to temporarily pause the MNS agitation for enforcing the use of Marathi in banks and other institutions, stating that the party had 'created enough awareness' on the issue.
However, tensions escalated after the United Forum of Bank Unions wrote to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, alleging that individuals identifying themselves as MNS activists had been visiting bank branches and intimidating employees.
Earlier, during his Gudi Padwa rally on March 30, Thackeray strongly reaffirmed the MNS’s stance on making Marathi compulsory for official communication and went as far as warning that those who deliberately avoid using the language would be 'slapped.'
(With PTI inputs)
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