Taxi permits: Ashok Chavan does a U turn, Hindi, Gujarati also ok

A day after the state cabinet mandated knowledge of Marathi and state domicile for a taxi driver’s licence, a move that smacked of the anti-migrant agenda of the Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), chief minister Ashok Chavan moved into damage control mode.

The U-turn, however, came after vociferous protests from United Progressive Alliance (UPA) allies and a rap on the knuckles from Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.

“The emphasis on local language was as per norms. I don’t mean local language has to be Marathi. It also means Gujarati and Hindi,” said a visibly upset Chavan.

On Wednesday, the cabinet had decided to re-enforce the 1989 Maharashtra Motor Vehicle Rules which make it mandatory for taxi drivers to speak Marathi and produce proof of domicile.

The decision, predictably, kicked up a storm; UPA alliance partners rushed to 10 Janpath (Gandhi’s residence) to lodge their protest. The All India Congress Committee (AICC) soon intervened and Chavan was told to roll back the “anti-migrant” decision immediately.

On Thursday morning, defence minister AK Antony, who is also in charge of the state Congress, moved in to silence the critics who included powerful regional satraps across party lines such as Lalu Prasad, Ram Vilas Paswan, Mayawati, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Nitish Kumar.

Chavan was told the government should exercise caution and address the sensibilities of the migrants in Mumbai, especially when 60% of taxi drivers belong to UP and Bihar. What made matters worse for Chavan was that his cabinet ministers and other leaders in the state joined hands in voicing their protest.

“How can we overlook that the Congress’s wins in the 2009 assembly and Parliament polls was because of migrants?’’ a senior cabinet minister said. Migrants played a key role in 48 of the 60 constituencies in Mumbai (36) and Thane (24).

What was supposedly an administrative decision to facilitate granting taxi permits to companies operating 26,000 vehicles, which were not renewed since 2002, culminated in an ugly political battle.

Expectedly, MNS chief Raj Thackeray exploited the decision to revive the anti-migrant campaign. He threatened dire consequences if ‘sons of the soil’ were not given permits.

“Mumbai is not the dharmashala of Uttar Pradesh and Biharis,” he said sarcastically, adding, “Chavan should display his spine by adhering to the cabinet decision.”  

Chavan, on his part, clarified that his government was not trying to drive away the migrants. “The decision was taken with a view to modernise the taxi system in the financial capital of the country, to grant non renewed (dormant) permits to companies who would operate brand new taxis on CNG with facilities of radio phone with call centres, electronic printing of tariff receipt to encourage more people to use public transport rather than using personalise transport,” he said.

According to Congress spokesperson Hussain Dalwai, “It is an unfortunate controversy. Why should a policy decision be blown into a political debate?”

What the act states
Maharashtra Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989, section 4(2) and 24(1) put together provide that in order to get an authorisation to drive taxi, the condition of 15 years domicile in the state and working knowledge of Marathi and any one of the languages commonly spoken there. It is clarified that no change has been proposed in these provisions of the said rules by the state cabinet.

Flashback
Former union industries minister Vilasrao Deshmukh has tasted the might of north Indian leaders whose pressure worked as Congress used 26/11 to remove him from the hot seat. The UPA allies had targeted him as they held him responsible for not doing enough against MNS’s migrant campaign.