Jaipur, July 17 -- A directive to establish Classical Marathi study centres in universities across Rajasthan has triggered a political row, with opposition leaders questioning why the state is prioritising Marathi when most of its universities do not have dedicated departments for the Rajasthani language. The controversy erupted after the Lok Bhavan on Wednesday issued a letter to all state universities directing them to establish centres for the study of Classical Marathi. According to the communication, the Maharashtra government had submitted a representation to the Governor seeking the establishment of such centres. Acting on the request, the Governor directed universities to set up Classical Marathi study centres. The move has drawn criticism from political leaders and language activists, who argue that the state should first strengthen academic infrastructure for Rajasthani, which is still awaiting constitutional recognition. At present, only four universities in Rajasthan have dedicated departments for the Rajasthani language - the University of Rajasthan in Jaipur, Jai Narain Vyas University in Jodhpur, Mohanlal Sukhadia University in Udaipur, and Maharaja Ganga Singh University in Bikaner. Kota Open University offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Rajasthani but does not have a separate department. Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot criticised the move while welcoming the promotion of Indian languages. In a post on X, Gehlot said that the study and respect for other Indian languages in Rajasthan was welcome and that opening centres for languages such as Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, along with Marathi, would strengthen linguistic diversity and promote national integration. However, he said it was a matter of concern that only four universities in Rajasthan currently have separate departments for Rajasthani. He urged the state government and the Raj Bhavan to establish Rajasthani departments and study centres in all universities before expanding the network for other languages. Gehlot also reiterated the long-pending demand for constitutional recognition of Rajasthani. Gehlot noted that on August 25, 2003, the then Congress government had passed a resolution in the state assembly seeking inclusion of Rajasthani and its major dialects, including Marwari, Mewari, Dhundhari, Hadoti, Mewati, Brij, Vagadi, Malvi and Shekhawati - in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. The former chief minister urged Centre to grant constitutional status to the language without further delay, stating that preserving and promoting the mother tongue should remain a national priority. The BJP hit back at the criticism, accusing Ashok Gehlot of politicising the issue. State BJP chief spokesperson Ramlal Sharma said: "Whenever Ashok Gehlot was in power, he failed to act. Once out of office, he tries to stay politically relevant by criticising every decision of government." Defending the move, Sharma said the BJP believes in India's cultural and linguistic diversity and is establishing study centres for various Indian languages with that objective. "At the same time, the Bhajan Lal government is fully committed to the preservation and promotion of Rajasthani. The government is making every effort to ensure that Rajasthani is included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution at the earliest," he said....