The BJP-led saffron alliance Government faced an acute embarrassment on the first day of the budget session of the Maharashtra legislature on Monday, as the Opposition boycotted the Governor's address to the joint sitting of the two Houses over the secretariat's failure to provide Marathi translation and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis apologised for the lapse.

Disapproving the lack of Marathi translation for his address in English at the joint sitting of the two houses, Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao asked Chairman of Maharashtra legislative Council Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar and Speaker of legislative Assembly Haribhau Bagade to take “appropriate action” against those responsible for the “serious lapse”.

Trouble broke out after the Governor reading out the address in English to the joint sitting of the legislature. As is normally the case, members of both the Houses did not get to hear Marathi translation of the address done by the legislature staff, through headphones provided to them. Meanwhile, some legislators claimed that they heard Gujarati translation of the Governor. However, there was no official confirmation for the claim.

Sources said that the lapse happened because the official who normally translates the Governor's speech was not available and the Secretariat had not made an alternate arrangement. 

The Opposition members staged a walk out from the joint house, alleging that the lack of the translation of the Governor's address was tantamount to “insulting” the Marathi language and that a day ahead of the Marathi language day.

In a damage control exercise, State Education Minister Vinod Tawde rushed to the control room mid way through the address and translated the Governor's speech in Marathi from the available text for the legislators who were list

After trooping out of the House the Opposition members staged a dharna of the Shivaji statute statue installed inside the Vidhan Bhavan premises.

later, the issue figured inside the State Assembly where the chief minister sought to disarm the Opposition by tendering an apology for the lapse. “Since the lapse comes under the purview of the presiding officers of both the Houses, I would request you to take stern action against those responsible for the lapse. Those responsible for the lapse should be sent home by this evening. Steps also need to be taken to ensure against recurrence of this kind of events,” the chief minister said.

 “Though this lapse comes under the purview of the State legislature, I tender my apology to the House in no uncertain terms,” Fadnavis said. 

 Speaker Bagade said that he would look into the matter and action would be initiated against those responsible for the lapse by the evening.

 Senior Congress leader and former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan charged that by deflecting the matter to the presiding officers of the two Houses, the state government could not escape its responsibility. “This is an unprecedented lapse. It is an insult to the House. The legislature Affairs Minister has to own up responsibility for the lapse. We have requested the Governor to have matter the investigated under his purview. We request you to  follow up with the Governor on the inquiry demanded by us,” Chavan told the Speaker.  

 In a statement issues later in the afternoon, Governor Vidyasagar Rao asked the State legislative Council Chairman Nimbalkar and Assembly  Speaker Bagade to take “serious cognisance” of the non-availability of Marathi translation facility during his address to the joint session of the State legislature.

 “During my address to the Joint Session of the legislature in the morning today, it was observed that the Marathi translation of my speech was not taking place. I am of the view that it needs to be considered with utmost seriousness and  strong action needs to be taken against those responsible for this serious lapse. I request you to kindly take appropriate action and inform me about the same,” the Governor stated.

 Taking serious exception to the lack of translation of the Governor's English address into Marath, senior NCP leader and former deputy chief minister ajit Pawar tweeted in Marathi: “It we had to stage a walk out from the State Assembly, it is because the state government insulted 12 crore people of Maharashtra.  Even during our tenure, the Governor used deliver his address in English. But, we used to reach simultaneous translation in Marathi to 288 members in the State and 78 members in the Upper House”.

“Even 15 minutes after the Governor began to deliver his address, there was no translation of it in Marathai. This was despite our repeated requests,” Pawar tweeted.

“Ahead of the Marathi language day scheduled for tomorrow, the ruling BJP has insulted the Marathi language. For reasons best known to it, the ruling Shiv Sena was keeping quiet. With no alternative, we walked out of the House and staged a protest near Shivaji statue installed inside the State legislature premises,” the NCP leader tweeted.