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Not against Hindi, just its imposition: Uddhav Sena clarifies, distances from Stalin's stand

Not against Hindi, just its imposition: Uddhav Sena clarifies, distances from Stalin's stand

New Indian Express18 hours ago
A day after estranged cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray came together to celebrate their victory over the Maharashtra government's rollback of Hindi as a third language from Classes I to V, the Uddhav Sena on Sunday sought to downplay Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin's support, clarifying that their opposition is strictly limited to the imposition of Hindi in primary schools.
Referring to the Mumbai rally led by Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray, Stalin had said, "The language struggle waged by the DMK and the people of Tamil Nadu has now crossed borders and sparked similar protests in Maharashtra."
He also accused the BJP-led Centre of using education funding as a pressure tactic. "The BJP, which disregards the law, threatens to allocate funds only if Tamil Nadu schools agree to teach Hindi as the third language," Stalin alleged.
The rally in Mumbai, titled 'Awaaz Marathicha,' marked a rare reunion of cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray on the same stage after nearly two decades. The protest came in the wake of the Maharashtra government's decision to withdraw two Government Resolutions that had made Hindi a compulsory third language in primary schools. The rollback followed strong opposition from the Shiv Sena (UBT), MNS, and the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction).
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