Samant accuses Sena UBT of double standards over Hindi language imposition in schools
Amid growing opposition to the inclusion of Hindi in Maharashtra's school curriculum under the three-language policy, Industries and Marathi Language Minister Uday Samant on Thursday claimed that it was the previous Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government that first approved the move.
Speaking at a press conference at Balasaheb Bhavan, Samant claimed the decision to make Marathi, English, and Hindi compulsory from Classes 1 to 12 was based on recommendations made by the Dr. Raghunath Mashelkar Committee—set up during the MVA's tenure. 'The cabinet led by Uddhav Thackeray approved the proposal on January 27, 2022. If they had objections, why didn't they raise them then?' Samant asked, accusing the Shiv Sena (UBT) of politicising the issue ahead of upcoming civic elections.
'There is no fresh decision being taken to impose Hindi. The current opposition is nothing but an attempt to mislead the public,' he said.
Samant also referred to Sena (UBT) leader and former minister Aditya Thackeray's earlier public remarks supporting multilingual education. 'He had said more languages mean more opportunities and even cited Singapore's model. So why this sudden U-turn?' Samant said, accusing the Thackeray faction of displaying 'double standards.'
To reinforce the state's linguistic and cultural heritage, Samant announced the creation of a ₹100-crore Marathi Language Centre in Mumbai, along with a sub-centre in Airoli. The state will also host a Global Marathi Conference and literary festivals.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Print
19 minutes ago
- The Print
‘Anti-constitutional': Cong slams RSS over call to review terms ‘Socialist', ‘Secular' in Constitution's Preamble
'The thinking of the RSS-BJP is anti-constitutional. Now, RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale has demanded a change in the preamble of the Constitution,' the Congress said in a post on X. In a post in Hindi on X, the Congress said it will never allow the BJP-RSS 'conspiracy' to succeed and will oppose any such move. New Delhi, Jun 26 (PTI) The Congress on Thursday accused the RSS and the BJP of being 'anti-constitutional' after Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale called for reviewing the words 'socialist' and 'secular' in the Preamble of the Constitution. The party claimed that Hosabale wants the words 'socialist' and 'secular' to be removed from the preamble. 'This is a conspiracy to destroy Baba Saheb's Constitution, which the RSS-BJP has been hatching for long,' the Congress said. The opposition party claimed that when the Constitution was implemented, the RSS opposed it and burnt its copies. 'In the Lok Sabha elections, BJP leaders were openly saying that they needed more than 400 seats in Parliament to change the Constitution, but the people taught them a lesson. 'Now, once again, they are engaged in their conspiracies, but Congress will not let their intentions succeed at any cost. Hail Constitution,' the Congress said. The RSS, the ideological mentor of the ruling BJP, on Thursday called for reviewing the words 'socialist' and 'secular' in the Preamble of the Constitution, saying they were added during the Emergency and were never part of the Constitution drafted by B R Ambedkar. Addressing an event here organised on the Emergency, Hosabale said, 'The preamble of the Constitution, Baba Saheb Ambedkar never had these words. During the Emergency, when fundamental rights were suspended, Parliament did not work, the judiciary became lame, then these words were added.' He 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 added. PTI SKC RHL This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
NDTV
2 hours ago
- NDTV
"People Target Me Because They Know I Am Next Lalu Yadav": Tej Pratap To NDTV
Expelled from the Rashtriya Janata Dal for six years, with the announcement coming from none other than his father, Tej Pratap Yadav has claimed people are conspiring against him because they know that he is the next Lalu Yadav. In an exclusive interview with NDTV on Thursday, Lalu Yadav's eldest son also said, cryptically, that while he would like his brother Tejashwi Yadav to become the chief minister of Bihar after the elections later this year, he wants to play the role of kingmaker. Tej Pratap Yadav - who married Aishwarya Rai, the daughter of a former Bihar minister in 2018 - was expelled from the RJD last month after he posted a photo on X and wrote that the woman he was with was Anushka Yadav and that they had been in a relationship for 12 years. Even though Tej Pratap Yadav deleted the post and claimed his account had been hacked, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav announced that he was distancing his son from the family and expelling him from the party for six years because of his "irresponsible behaviour" and "disregard for ethical values". Asked how he had taken the news, Tej Pratap Yadav, a former Bihar minister, said he felt bad and indicated he had been expelled because someone was conspiring against him. "Of course, I felt bad. If you expel a party member or an employee you have hired because someone swayed your opinion... it feels bad," Tej Pratap said in Hindi. To a question on whether he felt worse because it was his father who expelled him, the Hasanpur MLA said his parents, Lalu Yadav and Rabri Devi, are like gods to him, and he has the utmost respect for them. "My mother is always worried about me. As their first son, I know they keep me in their heart... I don't want to go into details of what the situation was or wasn't because that is completely political," he said. "My younger brother, Tejashwi, has my blessings and complete support for becoming the chief minister... there are no issues there," he stressed. Tejashwi-Tej Ties Asked to elaborate on the relationship with Tejashwi, Tej Pratap said there is some turmoil ('uthal puthal') but he is trying to handle the situation. "I have no interest in there being a breakdown in the relationship. I don't want to ruin ties... with anyone. I always try to maintain relationships... When you are the elder brother, you have to fulfil an elder brother's responsibilities," he said. 'Selective Targeting' To a question on whether he felt the controversy around him has dented the RJD's image, Tej Pratap wondered whether only his actions did that. "There are many other people as well. Why am I being specially targeted? I am not going to talk about my family - my brothers, sisters or parents. The other people who keep targeting me do so because they know that I am the next Lalu Yadav, because I have the same kind of voice, the same pure, raw mannerisms, the same grounded nature. Several people have said this," he claimed. "Tejashwi should become the chief minister, he has my full support. I want to play the role of kingmaker. Some don't like that I have my ear to the ground, that I raise issues that matter to the people without being afraid of anyone. This is what my father used to do, and that is what I, his son, should do as well. People in villages like people who are grounded," he said. Message To Supporters On whether he was despondent because of his troubles with the party and his family, Tej Pratap said he was not, and urged his supporters not to feel anxious either. The MLA said he will visit his constituency, Hasanpur, in the run-up to the elections and also hold 'janata durbars' (public meetings) to address any issues that people may have. "I am out of the party for six years, but that doesn't mean I should stay at home. A person should do the work he is meant to do. And I will do so," he emphasised.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Teachers to be posted in Eng-medium schools before July 1
Jaipur: To fill vacant posts in the state's Mahatma Gandhi English-medium schools, the school education department issued orders Thursday asking teachers to submit their district preference by 5pm on June 29 on the Shala Darpan portal. For appointment to vacant posts in English-medium schools, a special selection exam was conducted in Aug last year, but postings have not yet been given. "As per instructions of the chief minister, the operation of all the Mahatma Gandhi English-medium govt schools currently running is to be continued in the session 2025-26, and teachers are to be selected and posted through the above special selection process before the commencement of the session (July 1, 2025) so that the teaching-learning process can be conducted uninterruptedly," said a statement issued by the department on Thursday. Officials said teachers have to select any one district for posting and teachers who do not opt for any district will not be included or considered in the further process. Welcoming the move, general secretary of Rajasthan Shikshak Sangh (Ekikrit), Ranjeet Meena, said, "Teachers had submitted a memorandum this week to the chief minister regarding this. Now there is hope that transfers may also start soon, which will solve the issue of lack of teachers in govt schools."
