In a significant decision ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly poll, Marathi has been accorded classical language status. The Union Cabinet approved the move on Thursday. In addition to Marathi, Bengali, Pali, Prakrit and Assamese are also classical languages now. With this Cabinet decision, the number of languages that have the status will be 11. Earlier, only six languages—Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Odia—had this tag.

The decision is politically important considering the Marathi asmita (pride) that will be on full display in the Assembly elections. The demand for a classical status was longstanding and now the BJP can take credit for it. According to a government release, classical languages serve as a custodian of Bharat’s profound and ancient cultural heritage, embodying the essence of each community’s historical and cultural milestone.