Uddhav Thackeray Opposes Compulsory Hindi in Maharashtra Schools, Slams State Govt Decision:

Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Uddhav Thackeray attacked the hindustani imposition for mandatory inclusion of Hindi as third language for classes one to five in Marathi and English medium schools. He has positioned himself and the party as guardians to prevent any one sided imposition of hindustani claims on children of Maharashtra.

Referring to this issue, Thackeray claimed,

“It is not like we have an issue with hindustani, but the compulsion problem is where we draw the line. We will not allow that to happen in Maharashtra.”

Maharashtra Government Forms Hindi Policy Under NEP 2020

As part of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the state government has for the first time incorporated a three language formula for primary school pupils. Earlier, students from grades 1 to 4 studied Marathi and English as mandatory languages. Under the new policy, Hindi will now be added as a compulsory third language.

Per a government resolution, the policy will be rolled out gradually starting in the year 2025-26:

“Grade One From academic year 2025-26
Grades Two, Three, Four, and Six: 2026-27
Grade Five, and Nine: 2027-28
Grade Eleven: 2027-28
Grade Eight, Ten, and Twelve: 2028-29”
The government clarified that english speaking non marathi medium schools already implement the three languages, listed as the medium of instruction, English, and Marathi.

Fadnavis stands by the policy as the opposition raises concerns on “Marathi Identity”

Devendra Fadnavis defended the decision stating,

“Marathi has already been made compulsory. Hindi is important as it is a national means of communication.”

However, Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar lambasted the policy terming it an assault on Marathi pride.

“There would have been no issue if Hindi was optional. Making it mandatory will hurt Marathi sentiments. Can we demand that Marathi is taught compulsory in MP or UP?” Wadettiwar retorted.

Political Disputes Over Policy regarding Language Further Division

The move has ignited a new political controversy bringing in most of the opposition under one umbrella alleging the government is attempting to erase the regional identity. Uddhav Thackeray reaffirmed that while Hindi is a very well respected language, it ought not to come at the sacrifice of local culture and language.

This controversy comes in the wake of other debates surrounding the NEP 2020 and concerns of imposition of languages particularly in non-Hindi speaking states regions.