Oscar of a male penguin chick born last August, two days after Mumbai’s Byculla Zoo, BJP taken on thursday Shiv Sena, accused him of preferring an English name for the penguin instead of the Marathi name. This comes in the backdrop of the state government making it mandatory for all shops to install signboards in Marathi.
Speaking to media persons, BJP leader Chitra Wagh said, “On one hand, Shiv Sena has made it mandatory to have name plates in Marathi. On the other hand, it gave the penguin the name Oscar. This clearly shows its double standard on Marathi language.
He wondered why Shiv Sena didn’t think of a suitable Marathi name for penguin if it was so concerned about the mother tongue.
Reacting to BJP’s criticism, Shiv Sena leader and Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar said, “Soon we will have an elephant and a monkey baby.” We will name the elephant Champa and the monkey as Chiva. We have taken cognizance of BJP’s concern for Marathi names.
“What is the point of comparing the name of the penguin with the issue of Marathi language? Penguin is an exotic species. The child was born to parents who came from abroad. So, what’s wrong with calling a child Oscar,” she asked.
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