Maharashtra Language Policy: Fadnavis Govt Rolls Back Hindi Order—Retreat or Smart Strategy?

In a surprising political move, the Maharashtra government led by Devendra Fadnavis has withdrawn its earlier decision to make Hindi compulsory, amid rising opposition from regional parties and internal dissent within the BJP. Instead, the state has now announced the formation of a committee under Dr. Narendra Jadhav to review and implement a balanced three-language policy.The rollback comes just ahead of the Monsoon Session of the Maharashtra Assembly, which begins today. The decision has been seen as a major victory for regional identity politics, particularly for the Uddhav Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena and Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), who had united over the “Marathi first” demand.Reacting to the U-turn, Uddhav Thackeray said the government was forced to "kneel before the Marathi people." Following the decision, the Shiv Sena (UBT) cancelled its planned protest march on July 5, replacing it with a "Vijay Juloos" (Victory Parade).As the BJP faces criticism for backtracking, political analysts are divided: was this a genuine retreat, or a strategic retreat to defuse regional tensions before the upcoming BMC and local body elections?