A Marathi publisher has, in an open letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, questioned the ‘rationale’ behind the state’s decision to make available the Hindi literature of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya in government-approved public libraries, a majority of which are located in the hinterland and have Marathi readers.
“The state is spending over ₹4 crore on purchasing and distributing these books across the state. With 90% Marathi readers here, I wonder whose purpose is being served in making Hindi copies available to Marathi readers? My query to the state government asking whether the books have been translated received a negative reply from the officials and hence I decided to pose this question to Mr. Fadnavis directly,” said Kirtikumar Shinde of Navata Publications and Navata Book World.
The government will be spending ₹4.20 crore to buy 10,000 copies of 15-volume collection of literature on and by Deendayal Upadhyaya, one of the former top leaders of Jan Sangha.
Sandip Deshpande, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader, also questioned the decision and said, “Libraries supported by state government, which has largely Marathi readers, should have access to Marathi translation of the book.”
Deepak Pawar, president of Marathi Abhyas Kendra, said making the book available in Marathi would be beneficial for the BJP, which wants to spread the ideology of Deendayal Upadhyaya. “Are these book being distributed just for name? To put them to real use, translating them in Marathi, would have actually helped,” he said.