The Congress and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) Thursday opposed the state government’s decision to make Hindi a third language from classes 1 to 5 in Marathi and English-medium schools across Maharashtra.
The Congress termed the move an injustice to Marathi and an attack on the identity of Marathi speakers, even as Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has ruled out any change in the policy.
Contrary to the prevailing practice of studying two languages, the state government on Wednesday announced the three-language formula in Maharashtra’s primary schools as a part of the new curriculum implementation under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray said that his party will also not tolerate the compulsion of Hindi, adding that Hindi is not a national language.
“We will not allow the government’s current efforts to bring ‘Hindi’ everywhere to succeed in this state. Hindi is not a national language. It is a state language like other languages of the country. Why should it be taught in Maharashtra from the first grade? Whatever your trilingual formula is, limit it to government affairs, do not bring it to education,” said Thackeray.
MNS chief Thackeray added that the very principle of linguistic regionalisation is being undermined.
“We are Hindus but not Hindi! If you try to paint Maharashtra as Hindi, then there is bound to be a conflict in Maharashtra. If you look at all this, you will realise that the government is deliberately creating this struggle. Is this an attempt to create a rift between Marathi and non-Marathi speaking people in the upcoming elections and take advantage of it?” he asked while appealing to all Marathi people and political parties to oppose the move.
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Congress legislative party leader Vijay Wadettiwar said that if a third language is needed, it should be optional. He said that making Hindi mandatory is a form of pressure from the Centre on the states, which is not in line with the basic principles of federalism.
“While giving priority to language during the formation of the Union, the mother tongue of the states was accepted. The mother tongue of Maharashtra is Marathi, and these two languages, along with English, are used in education and administration. In such a situation, forcibly imposing Hindi as a third language is an injustice to Marathi and an attack on the identity of Marathi speakers,” Wadettiwar said.
“Some states have opposed it and are being threatened – this is a matter of growing concern. This compulsion should be withdrawn immediately to protect Marathi identity and linguistic rights,” Wadettiwar added.
However, CM Fadnavis told reporters on Thursday, “In Maharashtra, everyone should know the Marathi language. Similarly, Hindi is a nationwide communication language, and hence we should also learn Hindi. We have already implemented a new education policy. So, no new decisions will been taken in this. And if someone wants to learn English or any other language, we have not stopped them from doing so.”
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