'Language emergency': Uddhav, Raj Thackeray slam Hindi 'imposition' in Maharashtra, Pawar backs them

Hindustan Times

4 hours ago

The Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena on Thursday said they will oppose all attempts to impose Hindi on students of the state and asserted it was an attempt by the ruling dispensation to foist "language emergency" and remove "Marathi-ness". Raj and Uddhav Thackeray have opposed Hindi "imposition" in Maharashtra. (File photo - social media)(X/@SumitBaneMNS)
Addressing separate press conferences, Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and MNS president Raj Thackeray announced protests on July 7 and 5, respectively.
The BJP is trying to impose "'language emergency" in the predominantly Marathi-speaking state, Uddhav Thackeray said while asserting his party was not opposed to Hindi but was against its imposition. "The BJP is trying to create a divide among people on the basis of language. It is imposing a language emergency," the former CM claimed, adding that these moves are part of the ruling party's hidden agenda.
The contentious language issue can be resolved if Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis declares that Hindi will not be made compulsory in state schools, he said.
He maintained that during his tenure as CM from 2019 to 2022, he had taken the decision to make Marathi a compulsory subject in all schools of Maharashtra.
Thackeray declared his party will participate in an agitation organised by civil society members at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai on July 7 on the issue. He also slammed Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and said "traitors" need to be told about the ideals of party founder late Bal Thackeray.
Speaking on the controversy, CM Fadnavis made it clear that Hindi is optional while Marathi is compulsory. The row 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.
As per the order, 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 MNS president said he was opposed to the three-language formula and imposition of Hindi as well as the government's move to remove "Marathi-ness". The MNS has organised a morcha on July 5 starting from Girgaum Chowpatty, which will be a protest without any party platform, Raj Thackeray said while urging leaders from other political parties, litterateurs and artists to join.
School Education Minister Dada Bhuse, who met Raj earlier in the day to explain the government's stand on the issue, said the latter had given good suggestions on making sports and arts as an additional subject instead of a language.
Addressing reporters later in Mantralaya, Bhuse said there will be no books for students of class 1 and 2. The medium of instruction will be oral and students of these two grades will be taught songs and shown pictures, he said.
NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar said Hindi should not be made mandatory from Class 1, and any new language, if it has to be introduced, must be done after Class 5 as burdening young students with additional languages at the primary level is not appropriate. A large section of the country speaks Hindi, and there is no reason to ignore the language completely, Pawar said.
He emphasised the importance of the mother tongue in early education and said parents should have the right to decide whether their children need to learn Hindi after Class 5.
Asserting that the state government should give up its insistence on making Hindi compulsory from Class 1, Pawar said he supports the stand taken by the Thackeray cousins.
It is good if the Marathi-speaking population unites over the matter, the opposition stalwart said. Earlier in the day, Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal said his party will take part in all protests and movements being carried out for Marathi language. "This issue isn't just political. It is about Maharashtra's identity, its language and its cultural heritage," Sapkal asserted.
Shiv Sena leader and Industries Minister Uday Samant said the policy of making Hindi compulsory in Maharashtra schools was approved during the tenure of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government under Uddhav Thackeray The Dr. Raghunath Mashelkar Committee had recommended mandatory teaching of Marathi, English, and Hindi from Classes 1 to 12, which was approved by the Thackeray government, Samant claimed. He accused the Sena (UBT) of deliberately politicising the issue.
BJP leader and state Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelkar said Marathi is mandatory in Maharashtra but the BJP is not against other Indian languages. "We are staunchly for Marathi language. At the same time students interest is also paramount. Hindi is not compulsory in education. But one of the optional languages," Shelar said.
Union Minister Ramdas Athawale said the BJP-led government in Maharashtra should not buckle under pressure from Uddhav and Raj Thackeray. Blaming the estranged cousins for politicising the language issue, he said "Hindi is our national language and opposing it is like opposing the Constitution."