Union Home Minister Amit Shah is visiting Mumbai from September 12 to 14 for a series of events, including a Hindi conference, an exhibition at the Asiatic Society, and a Ganeshotsav ritual at Lalbaugcha Raja. The visit follows an invitation from the Asiatic Society's new leadership and includes planned meetings with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and other BJP leaders.

The Asiatic Society, known for its research and preservation of India's ancient texts and manuscripts, is hosting an exhibition during Shah's visit. The event will showcase rare manuscripts and archival material, including reference material related to P V Kane's 'History of Dharmasastra'. A key issue likely to be raised is the long-pending demand to grant the Asiatic Society the status of an 'institution of national importance', which has been pending with the Centre for four years. The society's recent election, won by the 'Asiatic Tomorrow' group with Dr Vinay Sahasrabuddhe as president, led to the invitation for Shah's visit.

The second major event on Shah's itinerary is the sixth Akhil Bharatiya Rajbhasha Sammelan in Vashi, a two-day conference focused on Hindi. The event is being held amid ongoing debates over language policies in Maharashtra, particularly the demand for migrants to learn Marathi. The conference is expected to add a political dimension to the language debate, with senior ministers and officials from the Centre and Maharashtra expected to attend. MNS chief Raj Thackeray has questioned the need for the Hindi event in Mumbai, while BJP's Mumbai unit president Amit Satam accused Thackeray of hypocrisy over the Marathi language issue.

Shah will also attend the India Jewels and Jewellery Awards ceremony at the Bharat Diamond Bourse on September 13. The visit to Lalbaugcha Raja on the first day of Ganeshotsav on September 14 is part of his traditional ritual during the festival. The evidence does not include any response from critics or opposing parties to the events or policies discussed during the visit.

The visit highlights the intersection of cultural, linguistic, and institutional priorities in Maharashtra. While the Asiatic Society's demand for recognition and the Hindi conference are framed as cultural and academic initiatives, they also carry political implications in the context of language policies. Further information on the outcomes of the discussions or the impact of the events on language policies in Maharashtra remains unknown.