‘Not our stand in Maharashtra. We speak Hindi': Uddhav Sena distances itself from Stalin's language remark
Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut made it clear that while the party opposes the Centre's efforts to mandate Hindi in
primary education, it does not support a complete rejection of the language.
'The Southern states have been fighting for this issue for years. Their stand against the imposition of Hindi means they will not speak Hindi and neither let anyone speak Hindi. But that is not our stand in Maharashtra. We speak Hindi… Our stand is that the strictness for Hindi in primary schools will not be tolerated,' Raut told reporters on Sunday.
#WATCH | Mumbai, Maharashtra: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut says, "The Southern states have been fighting for this issue for years. Their stand against the imposition of Hindi means they will not speak Hindi and neither let anyone speak Hindi. But that is not our stand in… pic.twitter.com/w5tD80bRYP
— ANI (@ANI) July 6, 2025
DMK chief Stalin, who has been at loggerheads with the Centre over the language row, on Saturday said the rally held under the leadership of Uddhav Thackeray against Hindi imposition fills them with 'immense excitement' and noted that the struggle has 'transcended state boundaries'.
But the Sena (UBT) isn't buying the comparison. 'MK Stalin has congratulated us on this win of ours and said that he will learn from this. We wish him the best. But we haven't stopped anyone from speaking in Hindi because we have Hindi movies, Hindi theatre, and Hindi music here… Our fight is only against the imposition of Hindi in primary education… Yes, the two brothers have come together for politics, but what have they come together for?' Sanjay Raut asked.
The rally in question, dubbed a 'victory rally', was held after two contentious Government Resolutions (GRs) were scrapped in Maharashtra. One GR made Hindi compulsory in Classes 1 to 5, while the other had made it optional. Both the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS had slammed the move as an act of language imposition. Addressing the crowd, MNS chief Raj Thackeray accused the BJP of weaponising the three-language formula, calling it a 'political tool' rather than an educational reform.
What Stalin said
Hours after the Thackeray cousins' reunion, Stalin said, 'The language rights struggle, waged generation after generation by the DMK and the people of Tamil Nadu to defeat Hindi imposition, has now transcended state boundaries and is swirling like a storm of protest in Maharashtra.'
'The enthusiasm and powerful oratory of the victory rally held today in Mumbai under the leadership of brother Uddhav Thackeray against Hindi imposition fills us with immense excitement,' Stalin added.
Slamming the BJP, Stalin accused the party of working 'lawlessly and anarchically'. 'The BJP, which acts lawlessly and anarchically by stating that funds will be allocated only if Hindi is taught as a third language in Tamil Nadu schools, has been forced to back down for the second time in Maharashtra, where they govern, due to fear of the people's uprising,' he said.
Stalin also invoked Raj Thackeray's questions to the Centre: 'What is the third language taught in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan?' and 'Why are you imposing Hindi on the people of progressive non-Hindi-speaking states when Hindi-speaking states are lagging behind?'
The DMK chief once again reiterated his resistance to the NEP's language policy and accused the BJP of linking the release of Rs 2,152 crore under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan to Tamil Nadu's acceptance of Hindi and Sanskrit through the backdoor.
He framed the opposition as a cultural safeguard rather than a political battle: 'The stance of the people of the state is for protection of India's pluralistic culture, not one that is driven by hatred.'
In a final warning to the BJP, Stalin declared: 'The BJP must atone for the betrayal it has committed against Tamil and Tamil Nadu. If not, Tamil Nadu will once again teach the BJP and its new allies a lesson they will never forget.'
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