Mumbai: Cousins Raj and Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday reiterated their opposition to the Maharashtra government’s recent decision to make Hindi the default third language in primary education, with their parties set to take part in separate protests against the move on July 5 and July 7, adding fuel to growing speculation that they’re set to reunite after nearly two decades ahead of local body polls across the state.
A week after the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Mahayuti government issued an order stating that Hindi will “in general” be the third language for classes 1-5 in Marathi- and English-medium schools unless at least 20 students in a class opt for an alternative, the Thackeray cousins held separate press conferences in which they opposed the three-language formula and the “imposition of Hindi” in Maharashtra.
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said the Mahayuti government’s decision was akin to declaring a “language emergency” in the state. The former chief minister said his party was not opposed to Hindi as a language, but was against its imposition in Maharashtra. He added that by doing so, the Mahayuti wants to “poison the harmony” between Marathi- and Hindi-speaking people for its politics.
“To impose Hindi is like declaring a language emergency to bring their autocratic regime to Maharashtra,” he said. “Though we don’t oppose Hindi as a language, we will oppose the compulsion of Hindi and will not allow it in Maharashtra.”
The Shiv Sena (UBT) chief made the comments after a committee of activists headed by Deepak Pawar, chief of the Marathi Abhyas Kendra, met him to discuss their movement against the state government’s decision. Thackeray extended his support to the movement and assured the activists that his party would participate in a rally they’ve organised at Azad Maidan on July 7. He also declared that the Shiv Sena (UBT) will continue its protests against the government’s decision until it’s reversed.
Meanwhile, Raj Thackeray said his Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has organised a rally from Girgaum Chowpatty to Azad Maidan on July 5, adding that he would talk to leaders from other political parties, litterateurs, artistes and other Marathi people to join the protest.
“There will be no flag. It will be a rally of Marathi people and they will lead it. I will speak to litterateurs, parents, and students, asking them to join. The government should know what Maharashtra wants. Maharashtra should show its full strength. I will also speak to other political parties. It is a conspiracy to reduce the importance of Marathi in Maharashtra,” he said.
When asked whether he would invite leaders from the Shiv Sena (UBT) as well to join the protest, Thackeray said all political parties will be approached, adding that Maharashtra is bigger than any fight. “Apart from political parties, I want to see who all come and who don’t,” he said.
While Uddhav did not comment on whether he would attend the MNS rally, he alleged that the BJP, which also leads a coalition government at the Centre, had taken the decision to impose Hindi with an ulterior motive to bring a one-party, one-ideology rule in the country.
“BJP president JP Nadda had stated that there would be only one political party in the nation,” he said. “Their ideology is one nation, one leader, etc. Imposing Hindi is part of that hidden agenda to bring an autocratic regime in Maharashtra. The people of Maharashtra will now understand why they split the Shiv Sena, which was formed to protect the rights of the Marathi people.”
Uddhav said that India is a union of states formed on a linguistic basis, so imposing a language in a state would not be tolerated. He also argued that there was no need to impose Hindi in a state where the Hindi film industry is based. “Marathi people understand and speak good Hindi, so what’s the need to impose Hindi? We do not support the three-language policy and will oppose it,” he said.
The former chief minister also questioned the timing of the decision. “The session of the state legislature will start on Monday, so there will be a controversy and a heated debate on the Hindi language issue. It would help the BJP-led government to cover their corruption cases, but our party will raise its voice over the scams and corruption of this government,” he said, without specifying details.
Samant hits back
Maharashtra’s Marathi language minister and Shiv Sena leader Uday Samant hit back at the criticism, claiming that the policy of making Hindi compulsory in Maharashtra schools was approved in January 2022 during the tenure of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, when Uddhav Thackeray was chief minister.
Addressing a press conference, Samant said the MVA government had set up a task force in October 2020 to implement the National Education Policy (NEP), which recommended a three-language formula. “The Dr Raghunath Mashelkar committee had recommended mandatory teaching of three languages—Marathi, English, and Hindi—from classes 1-12. This proposal was approved by the state cabinet led by Thackeray. If the Thackeray faction truly opposed the compulsory-Hindi provision under NEP 2020, why didn’t they object to it back then?”
Samant said the Mahayuti government’s position on the matter is clear. “There is no plan to impose or mandate Hindi. But with municipal elections nearing, some people are trying to mislead the public for political gain,” he added.
The task force’s report, submitted in June 2021, said, “English and Hindi as second language in the school should be introduced right from the 1st standard…Teaching of English and Hindi as second language should be made compulsory right from 1st standard to 12th standard (or equivalent), and if necessary also during three/four years of college education,” the report said.