Maharashtra Govt Bows To Protests, Withdraws Hindi Order For Primary Classes; Uddhav-Raj Rally Called Off
Maharashtra's CM suspended GRs enforcing the three-language formula after opposition from parties like Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS, who planned a protest march against the alleged imposition of Hindi.
Facing rising opposition to the compulsory introduction of Hindi in classes 1 to 5, the Maharashtra government on Sunday reversed its decision by withdrawing two Government Resolutions (GRs) related to the three-language formula. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, addressing a press conference ahead of the state legislature’s monsoon session, said the government would form a committee led by educationist Dr Narendra Jadhav to reassess and recommend the language policy’s future course.
According to Fadnavis, the panel will be given three months to examine the issue and submit its report. “A committee headed by Dr Narendra Jadhav will be formed to recommend implementation (of the three-language formula),” Fadnavis said, adding that the government would take a final decision after the report’s submission, news agency PTI reported.
Fadnavis Accuses Uddhav Thackeray Of 'Doing Politics' Over Three-Language Policy
Fadnavis accused former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray of previously endorsing the recommendations of the Dr Raghunath Mashelkar committee, which suggested introducing a three-language policy from class 1 to 12. “At that time, Uddhav didn’t say that his government was not accepting the three-language formula. The then government set up a sub-group on the Mashelkar Committee’s report,” Fadnavis stated, as per reports from the press conference.
"That report was accepted by Uddhav Thackeray’s cabinet, and it even bears his signature. Now, they are doing politics over the very same issue," the incumbent Chief Minister remarked, as per news agency IANS.
Fadnavis further alleged Uddhav’s government never openly disagreed with the Mashelkar report, pointing out that the committee’s 101-page report, submitted in September 2021, recommended teaching Marathi, English, and Hindi from classes 1 to 12. The report had been tabled before the state cabinet in January 2022.
He added, “Any Indian who doesn’t accept this proposal as part and parcel of a linguistic state has no right to be an Indian. He may be 100 per cent Maharashtrian, 100 per cent Gujarati, and 100 per cent Tamil, but he cannot be an Indian in the real sense of the word, except in geographical sense. If my suggestion is not accepted, India will then cease to be India,” quoting Babasaheb Ambedkar from Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar: Writings and Speeches.
Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad, meanwhile, accused the BJP-led state government of spreading false propaganda to undermine public resistance against its alleged anti-Marathi agenda. She refuted claims that the previous Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government, of which Congress was a part, had accepted the three-language formula under the National Education Policy 2020.
'To Divide Marathi People': Uddhav And Raj Thackeray’s Sharp Words As Opposition Claims Victory
Leaders of Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) quickly responded to the government’s reversal. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut declared, “The government withdrew the GR that made Hindi mandatory. This is a victory of Marathi unity and fear of Thackerays coming together. The July 5 morcha will not take place now. This is brand Thackeray.”
Former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray also celebrated the rollback, saying, “The government tried to divide Marathi people but failed to do so.” He announced that instead of the cancelled protest march, a programme would be held on July 5 to celebrate the “unity of the Marathi manoos.”
MNS chief Raj Thackeray, reacting to the developments, took to X (formerly Twitter) questioning the motives behind the initial GRs: “Why was the government so adamant about the Hindi language and who exactly was pressuring the government for this remains a mystery.”
He warned, “Do not create confusion with the (Jadhav) committee’s report again, otherwise the government should note that this committee will not be allowed to function in Maharashtra.”
Earlier in the day, Uddhav Thackeray led a protest against the order where he clarified his stance, stating, “My party does not oppose Hindi but only its imposition”. He made the remark copies of the government’s June 17 resolution were burnt at a Shiv Sena (UBT) protest event in Mumbai.
Deputy Chief Ministers Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde attended the press conference with Fadnavis. Pawar urged the Marathi community to stand down from the planned protest march, given the withdrawal of the contentious GRs. Shinde reassured, “The government’s decision will be in the interest of students. We have no ego.”
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