Thackeray cousins call off morcha, to now hold ‘victory procession' on July 5
Mumbai: Following the announcement of scrapping the two govt resolutions (GRs) to introduce Hindi as a third language for class 1 students, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief
Uddhav Thackeray
and MNS president
Raj Thackeray
called of their joint protest rally to be held on July 5, and said they will hold a 'victory procession' instead.
Raj said the GRs were withdrawn solely due to the strong resistance from the Marathi people. "Had the morcha taken place, it would have been so massive that it would have reminded people of the Samyukta Maharashtra movement," he said. "Why the govt was so insistent on pushing Hindi and from where exactly this pressure was coming remains a mystery. He further said govt has once again appointed a new committee. "Let me say this in clear terms: whether the report of this committee comes or not, such things will no longer be tolerated.
"
Uddhav said: "This was an attempt to divide the Marathi manoos and bring the non-Marathi speakers on the BJP's side. Now they scrapped the two GRs to prevent Marathi people from coming together. First, they tried to spew venom on the people and failed, so they are now trying to prevent the unity. The morcha has been scrapped, but now we will have a victory rally."
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"After the National Education Policy came, we appointed a committee.
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After its report came, we appointed a study group on it. But not a single meeting of that study group was held. But later our govt fell. That is why lies are being spread by BJP," Uddhav said. "...The Hindi GRs were withdrawn so that Marathi people would not come together. But now the unity of Marathi people should continue..."
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut posted on X: "Hindi imposition government order canceled! This is a victory of Marathi unity, fear of Thackerays coming together... the joint morcha on July 5 will not take place now; but... Thackeray is the brand! A wise decision taken by Fadnavis. Nice."
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Hindustan Times
23 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Govt scraps GRs on 3-language policy in schools amid pressure from allies, people
Mumbai: Days after the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and his estranged cousin Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray announced that they would stage a massive protest on July 5 against the state government's move to introduce Hindi as the third language in schools from class 1, the government on Monday scrapped the decision. It also announced the formation of a committee under former Mumbai University vice-chancellor and Planning Commission member Narendra Jadhav to recommend steps for implementation of the three-language formula in schools as per the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020. Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis addressed the media at the Sahyadri state guest house. (Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times) Addressing the media on Monday on the eve of the state legislature's monsoon session, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said the two government resolutions (GR) on introducing Hindi as the third language, issued on April 16 and June 17, had been scrapped. 'The decision has not been taken under pressure, but because policies of the state government are aimed at safeguarding the interests of students,' Fadnavis said. The committee headed by Jadhav will have members from the field of education and it will submit its report within three months after studying the report of Raghunath Mashelkar committee, the chief minister said. The Mahayuti government's U-turn on the contentious language policy came amid uproar among Marathi-speaking people in the state and pressure from its partners in the ruling alliance, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Shiv Sena. The decision to scrap the two GRs was taken during a separate meeting held after the cabinet meeting on Sunday, sources told Hindustan Times. During the meeting which lasted around 20 minutes, Shiv Sena ministers Sajay Shirsat and Dada Bhuse said the government should rethink the decision as public sentiment was completely against it, the sources said. 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The government then constituted a committee under Raghunath Mashelkar which recommended that Hindi and English be made compulsory in schools.' Fadnavis said. The 18-member committee, which included Shiv Sena (UBT) deputy leader Vijay Kadam, submitted its 101-page report on September 12, 2021 and the state cabinet under Thackeray accepted its recommendations on January 7, 2022, Fadnavis said, displaying a copy of the minutes of the cabinet meeting. 'The Mashelkar committee had recommended that Hindi be made compulsory in schools as it would help students excel in education and professional life,' Fadnavis said. The Mahayuti government issued the two GRs in April and June in pursuance with work done by a panel appointed by the MVA government to implement the Mashelkar committee report. 'We changed the decision to make Hindi mandatory and made it optional,' he noted. 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Hindustan Times
23 minutes ago
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Hindustan Times
33 minutes ago
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The Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Mahamandal has welcomed the Maharashtra government's decision to withdraw two controversial Government Resolutions (GRs) that made Hindi or other Indian languages compulsory from Class 1 in schools across the state. The decision was announced by Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday, following sustained opposition from political parties and language advocacy groups. The GRs had sparked sharp criticism from writers, educators, and civil society groups. (HT) Milind Joshi, president of the Mahamandal, said the rollback was a much-needed correction in favour of Maharashtra's linguistic and cultural interests. 'This is a decision in the interest of Maharashtra and its students. We wholeheartedly congratulate the Chief Minister and the government for withdrawing the GRs,' Joshi said. The Mahamandal had been protesting against the two GRs issued by the state's school education department earlier this year. These GRs, issued in the name of promoting multilingualism, made it mandatory for schools to learn Hindi or any other Indian language from Class 1, sparking concerns among Marathi language advocates who saw it as an encroachment on the primacy of Marathi in the state's curriculum. He also pointed out that it was Fadnavis himself who had played a key role in making the teaching of Marathi compulsory in all schools in the state. 'We hope he continues to take decisions that protect the rights of Marathi-speaking students and strengthen the use of Marathi in public life,' he added. The GRs had sparked sharp criticism from writers, educators, and civil society groups, who argued that such a policy would disadvantage Marathi students and medium, and was out of sync with the state's linguistic identity. In recent months, the Mahamandal had issued public statements, written to education department officials, and participated in awareness campaigns highlighting the implications of the GRs. Following the rollback, several educationists and parent groups have also voiced support for the decision, calling it a welcome step toward preserving the balance in the state's multilingual education framework. 'We welcome the government's decision to withdraw both GRs instead of just amending the clause that made Hindi or any third language compulsory from Classes 1 to 5, as demanded unanimously across Maharashtra,' said Sripad Bhalchandra Joshi, former president of the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Mahamandal and convenor of Marathichya Vyapak Hitasaathi (Movement for the Larger Interests of Marathi). However, Joshi cautioned that there is a real danger the government will now attempt to push the same idea—of making a third language compulsory—through committees filled only with hand-picked 'experts' from within the ruling political fold.
