Marathi groups in Mira-Bhayandar protest Bhojpuri songs played at stations for Chhath Puja

A fresh controversy has erupted after Bhojpuri songs were reportedly played at railway stations in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane on the occasion of Chhath Puja. Govardhan Deshmukh, president of the Marathi Ekikaran Samiti in Mira-Bhayandar, and Siddhesh Rane, president of the Praja Hit Sanghatana, have strongly objected.

The two questioned why Bhojpuri songs needed to be played at railway stations in Maharashtra. They expressed displeasure over the stand taken by Central Railway. Central Railway has issued a clarification. According to it, the railway has run special trains for devotees travelling to north India for Chhath Puja, and Bhojpuri songs were played at stations in that context. The clarification has not cooled the anger of the Marathi groups.

Office-bearers of the Marathi Ekikaran Samiti and the Praja Hit Sanghatana took the railway administration to task. They asked angrily, "Keep in mind that you are in Maharashtra. Is the railway administration that plays Bhojpuri songs at a Mumbai railway station in its right mind?"

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was also targeted in the matter. Deshmukh and Rane raised several questions. They asked whether an attempt was being made to erase Maharashtra's cultural identity for the sake of vote-bank politics. They also asked why Maharashtra was being turned into Bihar, and where Maharashtra had been brought to.

The office-bearers of both organisations demand that the railway administration respect the local language and Maharashtra's cultural identity. The issue of Bhojpuri songs at stations could now turn into a political and linguistic dispute. All eyes are on the stand Central Railway will take.