Airtel Female Employee's Video Goes Viral

"Why Should I Speak Marathi?" Airtel Employee's Video Goes Viral, Sparks Row on social media over Marathi Speaking Language with customers.

BJP MLC Chitra Wagh on Wednesday called for promoting the use of local language in Maharashtra, a statement which comes after a video of a female employee of a prominent telecom company purportedly refusing to interact with a customer in Marathi went viral. Ms Wagh, who also heads the women's wing of Maharashtra BJP, stressed the importance of Marathi language, saying, "If one resides in Maharashtra, they must know Marathi. If they don't, they should at least be willing to learn and respect the language".

Referring to the viral video, she said there has been an instance of "arrogance and rudeness at the Airtel gallery" by a female employee and demanded immediate action against her. "Moreover, going forward, every manager and employee in your galleries must be proficient in Marathi, and recruitment should prioritise individuals fluent in the language," she said in her message to the telecom company.

After the incident took place, there was no immediate official reaction from the company, but officials said it as an unfortunate incident and said necessary actions will be taken. The controversial video was shot by an unidentified person who was a customer, which shows that a local Airtel gallery in Mumbai did not resolve his complaint and behaved rudely with him.

In the video, the employee reportedly asked, "Why should I speak in Marathi? Where is it written to speak Marathi in Maharashtra? You should speak to me properly." As the senior staff reached the outlet, the woman was seen saying, "Marathi is not important to me. We live in Hindustan and anyone can use any language.

"Why should I speak in Marathi? Have you bought, or do you own Maharashtra? Are you going to tell me where to work and not to work? Recording is not allowed, or I will call the police." The customer replied, "on the one hand, you are not addressing my problems, and on the other hand, you are not even talking to me properly." He alleged that the staff member had screamed at him and neglected to address his grievances.

Read Here: Maharashtra Government mandates Marathi Language in all Government Offices