Mumbai, June 24: Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar expressed deep regret on Wednesday regarding errors in the pronunciation and reading of a condolence motion in Marathi. This statement follows sharp criticism on social media and comments from MNS leader Raj Thackeray. Narwekar clarified that these mistakes were entirely unintentional.
While addressing the assembly, Narwekar noted that the condolence motion he was given contained several technical and printing errors, which he inadvertently read aloud. He mentioned that there were a total of 12 condolence motions, and the printout he received was unclear, with a very small font size and some technical flaws.
“I take pride in the Marathi language and respect it. Over the past four years as Assembly Speaker, I have delivered numerous speeches in Marathi and successfully conducted the proceedings of the house. No one, especially the Assembly Speaker, would ever intend to disrespect a luminary like the great singer Asha Bhosle. What happened was a completely unintentional mistake. However, if the sentiments of the citizens or members of the house have been hurt, I sincerely apologize,” he stated.
The controversy began on Monday when Narwekar was reading a condolence motion for the late playback singer Asha Bhosle and political thinker Deendayal Upadhyaya. During this reading, he made several pronunciation and factual errors, notably misreading Asha Bhosle’s father, the renowned musician Deenanath Mangeshkar, as “Deendayal Mangeshkar.”
Following this incident, he faced significant backlash on social media. Raj Thackeray sharply criticized the situation, stating that such a mishap during a solemn occasion is unfortunate. He sarcastically remarked that it seemed as if the paper given to the speaker had been used for eating ‘bhaji’ (a type of snack).
As the assembly proceedings resumed on Wednesday, the opposition raised this issue. Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Ajay Chaudhary demanded accountability, stating that action should be taken against those who provided the speaker with incorrect and flawed text, as it undermines the dignity of the assembly and the reputation of the speaker.
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