"Imposed by Central government," says Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on three-language formula
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 28 (ANI): Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) faction leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday stated that the decision to introduce Hindi as a third language in Maharashtra schools was not made by the state government, but was 'imposed' by the central government.
Raut further stated that the new education policy, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, has encountered opposition from all states.
Addressing a press conference, Raut said, 'This decision was imposed by the central government, not made by the state government. The new education policy is something Modi and Shah have given to the whole country, and all of our states stand against them.'
Opposition parties continue to voice their objections against the Maharashtra government's plan to introduce Hindi as a third language in schools.
The Maharashtra government has been criticised twice regarding its language policy. Initially, a government resolution issued on April 16 mandated Hindi as the compulsory third language in Marathi and English-medium schools.
However, n response to the backlash, the government revised the policy through an amended resolution, stating, 'Hindi will be the third language. For those who want to learn another language, at least 20 willing students are required.'
On June 24, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated that the final decision regarding the three-language formula will be taken only after discussions with litterateurs, language experts, political leaders, and all other concerned parties.
A meeting on the issue of the three-language formula was held at the Chief Minister's official residence, Varsha, on Sunday night (June 22). Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, School Education Minister Dada Bhuse, Minister of State Dr Pankaj Bhoyar, and officials from the education department were present.
Raut further accused the Centre of misusing law and order over the past decade and stated that the judiciary and the Election Commission have treated the Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP-SCP unfairly.
'The law and order have been misused for the last 10 years. The judiciary, including the Supreme Court as well as the Election Commission, has done injustice to Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP-SCP... Who is giving the verdicts under pressure... We need an unbiased investigation to get justice,' Raut said. (ANI)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
30 minutes ago
- Hans India
Maha: Heated debate expected on Hindi language row, Shaktipeeth during upcoming monsoon session
Mumbai: Raging controversy over the introduction of Hindi in Marathi and English schools from classes 1 to 5, the protests against the land acquisition for the Rs 86,300 crore Shaktipeeth Mahamarg, tabling of Public Security Act following the scrutiny of the joint select committee, damage caused to agriculture due to unseasonal rains and demand for from loan waiver are among the several issues which are going to be discussed during the three week monsoon session of Maharashtra Legislature starting from June 30 in Mumbai. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the government is prepared for debate in the state legislature, adding that the session will be held up to July 18 as per the agenda and time schedule fixed by the Business Advisory Committee. On the other hand, the Leader of Opposition in the state council, Ambadas Danve, said that the opposition parties will take on the government on a range of issues, exposing its inaction on all fronts. Ruling and opposition parties are set to have a noisy discussion on the inclusion of Hindi as a third language in the state curriculum. The MahaYuti government has said that the Marathi language is mandatory, while the Hindi language is optional. On the other hand, Shiv Sena UBT and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena have joined hands to take a morcha against the imposition of Hindi while appealing to other parties to participate for the protection of Marathi. Shiv Sena (Thackeray), Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) are going to take an aggressive stand on the three-language formula of the grand alliance government. Interestingly, NCP national president and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has opposed the introduction of Hindi from classes 1 to 5, saying that Hindi should be taught from the fifth standard and not from classes 1 to 4. The Chief Minister is expected to further clarify the state government's stand in his reply to the debate. The face off between ruling and opposition parties is also expected on the state Cabinet's recent decision to clear Rs 20,000 crore for the project design and land acquisition for the 802-km six-lane Shaktipeeth Expressway connecting 18 pilgrimage sites, including three and a half Shaktipeeths, two Jyotirlingas and Pandharpur Ambejogai in the state. The project will pass through 12 districts. However, farmers have already stepped up their protests against the land acquisition, while opposition parties have alleged that the project is being pursued for the benefit of contractors. Farmers from 12 districts will hold a simultaneous protest against the Shaktipeeth Mahamarg on July 1. Opposition parties have already extended their support, asking the government not to implement the project at the cost of farmers' interests. The opposition is accusing the MahaYuti government of dilly-dallying over its poll promise of farm loan waiver. Shiv Sena UBT, Congress and MCP (SP) have alleged that while the government is spending huge money on infrastructure and other projects, it does not have money to provide a loan waiver. However, the Chief Minister and Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule have said that the government will take the decision at an appropriate time. Bawankule said that the government will make an announcement of a high-level committee on loan waivers during the monsoon session. Further, opposition has blamed the government for not being serious in providing help to the farmers hit hard by unseasonal rains witnessed in May in Maharashtra. They have decided to 'grill' Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate for his recent statements on farm loan waiver and for conducting panchnamas of damaged crops. The Chief Minister said that the panchnamas are an ongoing process, and the government is committed to providing financial assistance to the farmers. The opposition is set to corner the state government on the Public Security Act as the joint select committee, chaired by Chandrashekhar Bawankule, has completed its scrutiny. The committee has suggested amending the objective from 'certain unlawful activities of individuals and organisations' to 'certain unlawful activities of Left Wing Extremist (LWE) organisations or similar organisations.' The committee has dropped the urban naxal reference, which was there in the original bill presented by the state government in the winter session of the state legislature held last year. Bawankule is optimistic that the revised bill will be passed during the monsoon session, although the opposition proposes to seek further clarifications relating to its implementation. Meanwhile, state NCP (SP) chief and party legislator from Islampur in Sangli district, Jayant Patil, hoped that the Speaker would restrict the number of calling attention motions and thereby conduct the proceedings as per the rules.
The Print
36 minutes ago
- The Print
Hindi in schools: Sapkal dubs it BJP-RSS agenda to sideline Marathi, end linguistic diversity
'This is not merely about a language policy. The BJP-RSS agenda is to erase all other languages and impose Hindi hegemony across the nation. But we will not allow Marathi to be throttled. This deceitful design will be defeated. We respect Hindi as a language, but coercion is unacceptable. Marathi is not just our language. It is our identity and way of life,' Sapkal told reporters. On June 17, the Maharashtra government issued a GR making Hindi the third language, though not mandatory, for students of Classes 1 to 5 in English and Marathi medium schools. Mumbai, Jun 28 (PTI) The Maharashtra government's decision to introduce Hindi in schools from Class I is a conspiracy by the BJP-RSS to sideline Marathi and eliminate linguistic diversity enshrined in the Constitution, alleged state Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal on Saturday. He said the Congress has reached out to prominent literary figures through letters asking them to put up a united front to ensure the state government is forced to revoke the order on Hindi. Accusing the ruling BJP of duplicity, Sapkal questioned why Hindi is not a compulsory language in neighbouring Gujarat. 'Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and (minister) Chandrashekhar Bawankule must speak about these double standards,' he said. Sapkal said all sections of society must take part in the protest against the Hindi order as it is a 'cultural struggle and not just a political battle'. The opposition parties have accused the ruling BJP of pursuing a hidden agenda through the three-language policy to give precedence to Hindi over regional languages, including Marathi. PTI MR BNM This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Indian Express
44 minutes ago
- Indian Express
First-level EVM checks done ahead of Bihar assembly polls, faulty units sent for repairs to Hyderabad
The first-level checking (FLC) of electronic voting machines (EVMs) ahead of the Bihar assembly polls has found that 12.26% of ballot units, 4.96% of control units, and 4.67% of VVPATs were declared 'FLC Rejected' following technical scrutiny across the state. According to the Chief Electoral Officer's (CEO) office, a total of 1,76,506 ballot units were checked, with 21,634 units failing to clear the inspection. Similarly, 6,389 out of 1,28,726 control units and 6,369 out of 1,36,317 VVPATs failed to clear the test. At the same time, officials said, a significant majority of the machines, '1,54,872 BU, 1,22,337 CU, and 1,29,948 VVPATs were found 'FLC OK'' and cleared for use in the upcoming polls. 'A total of 189 engineers from ECIL were deputed to carry out the checks across the state. The rejected machines are being sent to ECIL in Hyderabad for repairs, while the status of all units, whether cleared or rejected, was updated daily on the EMS 2.0 portal,' officials said. The FLC process, described by the Election Commission as 'a preliminary and crucial technical inspection process,' was conducted from May 2 to June 25 under the supervision of district election officers and ECIL engineers, with representatives from all major political parties invited to observe. The FLC process was monitored through live webcasting in all districts, allowing real-time oversight by the Election Commission and the CEO's office. 'After completion of FLC, the list of approved EVMs was provided to all recognised national and state parties at the district level,' officials said, stressing on transparency in the process. The electoral officers noted that all 12 recognised national and state-level political parties were informed about the FLC programme at least six times and urged to send their representatives. 'Over 200 letters were sent to parties that were not attending, urging them to participate,' sources said. The election body mentioned that the state-level meeting chaired by CEO Vinod Singh Gunjiyal on May 13 reviewed party participation and the progress of the FLC. 'Most major parties, including the BJP, Congress, RJD, JD(U), LJP (Ram Vilas), CPI(M), CPI(ML), and BSP, actively participated across districts, while others such as the Aam Aadmi Party, RLSP, and RLJP had limited presence. The National People's Party did not participate in any district,' officials said. Officials noted that party participation was 'robust in 31 districts', including Patna, Muzaffarpur, and Bhagalpur, while seven districts – Banka, Darbhanga, Gaya, Gopalganj, Nalanda, Supaul and Kishanganj – saw comparatively fewer party representatives during the FLC. 'All parties expressed satisfaction with the quality and arrangements of the process,' the electoral officials said. They informed that the Election Commission of India and the CEO's office maintained 'intensive and continuous monitoring' of the process through live webcasting and field visits. '28 observers, including senior officials and EVM nodal officers from other states, were deployed for on-ground supervision,' EC officials said, with CEO Vinod Singh Gunjiyal personally inspecting FLC halls in Patna and Katihar. With the completion of the FLC, officials said Bihar is now 'fully prepared for the upcoming Assembly elections, reaffirming the commitment to a transparent and credible electoral process.'
