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Raj, Uddhav Thackeray join forces to protest Hindi imposition in schools
The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Bal Thackeray) faction led by Uddhav Thackeray and his estranged cousin Raj Thackeray, who heads the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), have now joined hands to protest against what they describe as the 'imposition' of Hindi in Maharashtra's school curriculum.
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut announced the estranged cousins' joint cause on X, sharing an old photo of the duo with the caption: 'A united march will take place against the imposition of Hindi in schools in Maharashtra. Jai Maharashtra!'
This comes after the two political parties made parallel announcements; however, they will now lead a joint march on July 5 at Girgaon Chowpatty in Mumbai.
A large-scale protest call was made by Raj Thackeray to oppose the state government's three-language formula, which mandates Hindi as the third language. The protest comes at a time when the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections are approaching.
Thackerays slam Hindi imposition move
Taking to X, the MNS chief said, 'We will not allow Hindi imposition from the beginning, and we have decided to organize a march from Girgaum Chowpatty on July 6 to oppose it. There will be no flags in that march. The entire march will belong to the Marathi people. The Marathi agenda will be the only focus. The leadership of that march will be led by a Marathi person.'
Slamming the state government for its decision to mandate Hindi as the third language, Raj Thackeray further stated, 'Let the government understand once and for all what is in the hearts of Maharashtra.'
Raj Thackeray announced the change in the date of the protest earlier today in a post. He also noted that their party would invite students, parents, educationists, and language experts to participate in the protest.
Uddhav Thackeray also announced to join a protest by civil society at Azad Maidan on July 7, news agency PTI reported.
Hindi imposition row in Maharashtra
The controversy erupted after the state government last week issued an amended order stating Hindi will 'generally' be taught as the third language to students in Marathi and English medium schools from Classes 1 to 5. The order added that if 20 students per grade in a school wish to study any other Indian language, they can opt out of Hindi. If such a demand arises, either a teacher will be appointed, or the language will be taught online.
The decision sparked a row in Maharashtra with leaders of prominent parties slamming the decision. However, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis clarified that Hindi is optional while Marathi will still be compulsory.
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United News of India
17 minutes ago
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20 minutes ago
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Assault on Constitution's soul: Opposition slams RSS' view on Preamble
Several opposition parties on Friday denounced RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale's call to review the words 'socialist' and 'secular' in the Preamble, terming it a "deliberate assault" on the soul of the Constitution. The attack came a day after the RSS proposed reviewing the two words, saying they were included during the Emergency and were never part of the Constitution drafted by B R Ambedkar. While the Congress saw it as a "deliberate assault" on the soul of the Constitution and claimed the RSS-BJP had never accepted Ambedkar's Constitution, the CPI(M) said the demand exposes the RSS' long-standing objective of subverting it. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the mask of the RSS has come off again as they want 'Manusmriti'. "The Constitution irks them because it speaks of equality, secularism, and justice," he said in a post in Hindi on X. "The RSS-BJP doesn't want the Constitution; they want 'Manusmriti'. 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In a post on X from its official handle, the Congress alleged the RSS-BJP's ideology stands in direct opposition to the Indian Constitution. "RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale has openly called for the removal of the words 'socialist' and 'secular' from the Preamble. This is not just a suggestion -- it is a deliberate assault on the soul of our Constitution," it said. "It is part of a long-standing conspiracy to dismantle Babasaheb Ambedkar's vision for a just, inclusive and democratic India -- something the RSS-BJP has always been plotting. Let us not forget: when the Constitution was adopted, the RSS rejected it. They didn't just oppose it, they burnt it." The Congress said the people saw through their agenda and gave them a resounding answer. "Now, they have returned to their old playbook. But let it be known: The Congress will stand as an unbreakable wall against any attempt to undermine the Constitution. Jai Samvidhan," it asserted. The party's deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha Pramod Tiwari said, "Once again, the truth slipped out. The hidden agenda of the BJP and RSS is now out in the open. They want to remove the core values of secularism and socialism from the Constitution." RJD president Lalu Prasad, who claimed that social justice and communal harmony are his guiding principles, voiced his anguish on X by terming the RSS a "casteist" outfit. The RJD supremo also said, "They do not have the guts to cast an evil eye on the Constitution and reservations provided therein. Why are people with an unjust character so full of hatred for democracy and Babasaheb Ambedkar's Constitution?" Party MP Manoj Kumar Jha said, "Perhaps he (Hosabale) hasn't read it; I would advise him to seriously read the Constituent Assembly debates. Socialism and secularism were integral parts of our Constitution." In a statement, the CPI(M) Politburo said the inclusion of 'socialism' and 'secularism' in the Preamble is not an arbitrary addition and reflects the core values for which freedom fighters sacrificed their lives. "The Communist Party of India (Marxist) strongly denounces the proposal made by the RSS general secretary to remove the words 'socialist' and 'secular' from the Preamble of the Indian Constitution. This proposal exposes the RSS's long-standing objective of subverting the Constitution and its intent to transform India into a Hindu Rashtra, in pursuit of its Hindutva project." "It is the height of hypocrisy for the RSS, which played no role in the freedom movement, to now advocate for the removal of these foundational principles. That it cannot tolerate the values cherished by our martyrs betrays its reactionary, anti-people, and divisive ideology," the Left party said. It "firmly" opposed "any attempt to alter the core values enshrined in our Constitution. We appeal to the people to remain vigilant and resolutely resist all such efforts by the RSS and its protege BJP." CPI General Secretary D Raja said everyone knows what RSS wants. "Everyone knows it is opposed to constitution/why they spoke of '400-paar' and that is why defending constitution became the central issue for opposition parties." Hosabale, while addressing an event on the Emergency, said on Thursday that "the preamble of the Constitution Baba Saheb Ambedkar made never had these words." "During the Emergency, when fundamental rights were suspended, Parliament did not work, and judiciary became lame, then these words were added." The RSS leader said discussions were held on this issue later but no effort was made to remove them from the Preamble. "So whether they should remain in the Preamble should be considered," he had added. Union Minister Jitendra Singh, however, sought to defend Hosabale's call, saying any right-thinking citizen would endorse it because everybody knows that these words were not part of the original Constitution written by Ambedkar.
