July 5 protest morcha, featuring Uddhav and Raj Thackeray, cancelled after withdrawal of Hindi 'imposition' orders
Amid a growing chorus against the introduction of Hindi from classes 1 to 5, the Devendra Fadnavis cabinet decided to withdraw two GRs (government orders) on the implementation of the three-language policy.
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Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
If North Indians need to come to Maharashtra for jobs, Marathi should be taught there: MNS chief Raj Thackeray
Launching a scathing attack on the state government over the three-language formula in the school curriculum which he said is an imposition of Hindi over Marathi, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray said Monday that Hindi is not the national language and cannot be imposed on states. 'I don't understand why there was such insistence on bringing in Hindi. Earlier, Hindi was taught from around Class 5 or 6, and that was acceptable. But why push it from Class 1 now? Hindi is not the national language. It is the language of one region. It cannot be imposed on other states,' Raj said while reacting strongly to the now-withdrawn three language policy of the Maharashtra government. On Sunday, on the eve of the Monsoon Session of the state legislature, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced the withdrawal of government resolutions mandating the teaching of Hindi from Class 1 in schools. The move of introducing the three-language policy had drawn severe criticism from regional parties, civil society, and prominent Marathi figures. Following the announcement, both Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray cancelled the joint protest rally that was scheduled for July 5. 'There was absolutely no need for all of this,' Raj said at the press conference in Mumbai. He also responded to the common justification that Hindi is necessary for migrant Hindi-speaking populations in Maharashtra. 'Many people from North India come to Maharashtra for work. If this is the case, then Marathi should be taught in their states instead. Why imposing Hindi in Maharashtra, and over Marathi? This attempt to impose a 150–200-year-old language on 3,000-year-old Marathi is not acceptable to us,' he said. He said the matter has now been resolved, but the way it unfolded was avoidable. 'Yesterday, the state government had no choice but to cancel both government resolutions related to Hindi imposition. I would like to congratulate the Marathi people for taking a firm stand. The issue was unnecessary to begin with,' he said. 'Apart from the public, I also want to thank some writers, a few artists, and Marathi media journalists and editors who supported the cause.' 'We (MNS) were the first to oppose the decision. As tensions rose, other political parties joined us — including Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena, Sharad Pawar's NCP (Nationalist Congress Party), and others. We had declared a protest on July 5. Had that rally taken place, it would have been unprecedented. It would have reminded people of the Samyukta Maharashtra movement. A united Marathi voice can have real impact — I hope the government has understood that,' he said. Raj also recalled last week's meeting with Shiv Sena minister Dada Bhuse. 'When he came to meet me, he said, 'At least hear us out.' I told him, 'I'll hear you, but I won't agree.' There will be no compromise. This is slow poisoning — these ideas are planted gradually. They tried it, and it backfired. Now they are talking about forming committees. Let them. It does not concern us. But the government must make sure this does not happen again. We will never accept such things.' After the withdrawal, Sena (UBT) suggested replacing the cancelled protest with a victory gathering. Raj welcomed the move saying, 'Sanjay Raut called me after the decision and asked, 'What next?' I told him we will now have to cancel the protest, but we could definitely organise a victory rally. We agreed to hold it on July 5, but we have not announced the venue yet. I will speak with my team, and they will coordinate. Let us be clear — this isn't about party politics. It is a win for the Marathi people, and that is how it should be seen,' he said.
India Gazette
an hour ago
- India Gazette
"We have punched Marathi haters, unity should remain as it is": Shiv Sena (UBT) Uddhav Thackeray on withdrawal of three-language policy
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 30 (ANI): Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Uddhav Thackeray on Monday celebrated the withdrawal of the three-language policy in the state and stated that they had punched Marathi haters, and the unity in the state should remain as it is. He further stated that a new committee led by Narendra Jadhav would report on the decision, further stating that the government had appointed financial experts for the decision in the education sector. 'We have punched Marathi haters; this unity should remain as it is. We appreciate the political parties which came together with us despite different stands. Temporarily, they (the Government) have cancelled the GR. If they hadn't cancelled, they would have seen the protest on 5th July. Many leaders from Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's NCP are going to join us. A new committee led by Dr Narendra Jadhav will report on this. The government has appointed financial experts for the education sector's decision. We will stage a victory rally on 5th July,' Thackeray said, speaking to reporters here. Meanwhile, party MP Sanjay Raut lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for making false claims of former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray accepting the Mashelkar committee's report on the three-language policy. Addressing the media, Raut stated that lying was the BJP's 'national policy.', further challenging the BJP that if Thackeray had submitted the Mashelkar committee report, it should have been made public. 'Lying is the BJP's national policy. These people are working with this policy in Maharashtra. If Uddhav Thackeray had submitted a report on the Mashelkar committee, it should be made public. A committee report has been released and placed in the cabinet. Can't this be discussed? You forcefully discussed Hindi with the cabinet -- you did it because it's a national policy. If any national policy comes before the state, then discussing it is very important. Devendra Fadnavis has become the chief minister three times--does he not have that much knowledge?' Raut said, addressing a press conference. Earlier, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, informing about the cancellation of the resolutions that were passed on April 16 and June 17, announced that a committee will be formed to discuss the implementation of the three-language formula in the state. 'A committee under Dr Narendra Jadhav will be formed to discuss the implementation of the three-language formula in the state... Until the committee submits its report, both government resolutions (of April 16 and June 17) have been cancelled by the government,' Devendra Fadnavis said. On April 16, the Maharashtra government passed a resolution that mandated Hindi as the compulsory third language in Marathi and English-medium schools. However, in response to the backlash, the government revised the policy on June 17 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.' (ANI)
India Gazette
an hour ago
- India Gazette
Lying is BJP's
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 30 (ANI): Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for making false claims of former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray accepting the Mashelkar committee's report on the three-language policy. Addressing the media, Raut stated that lying was the BJP's 'national policy.', further challenging the BJP that if Thackeray had submitted the Mashelkar committee report, it should have been made public. 'Lying is the BJP's national policy. These people are working with this policy in Maharashtra. If Uddhav Thackeray had submitted a report on the Mashelkar committee, it should be made public. A committee report has been released and placed in the cabinet. Can't this be discussed? You forcefully discussed Hindi with the cabinet -- you did it because it's a national policy. If any national policy comes before the state, then discussing it is very important. Devendra Fadnavis has become the chief minister three times--does he not have that much knowledge?' Raut said, addressing a press conference. Earlier on June 29, the Maharashtra government had cancelled the two orders on the implementation of the three-language policy after facing heavy criticism from the opposition, and being accused of 'imposing Hindu' on the people of the state. On June 24, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis while making an announcement on the three-language formula had alleged that it was former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray who had accepted the recommendations of the Dr Raghunath Mashelkar committee to introduce a three-language policy from class 1 to 12, and had also constituted a panel for its implementation, according to a press note by the Maharashtra Government. 'The decision on the Three-Language Formula was taken by Uddhav Thackeray himself during his tenure,' Fadnavis said. Following the announcement, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) Chief Raj Thackeray said that the government resolutions were cancelled solely due to the pressure from the Marathi people. 'The decision to impose the Hindi language under the pretext of teaching three languages from the first grade has finally been withdrawn. The government has cancelled the two GRs related to this. This cannot be called belated wisdom, because this imposition was withdrawn solely due to the pressure from the Marathi people. Why the government was so adamant about the Hindi language and who exactly was pressuring the government for this remains a mystery,' Raj Thackeray wrote on X. Raj Thackeray further defied the formation of the committee on the three-language policy, saying that they assume this decision has been permanently cancelled and the government shouldn't create 'confusion with the committee's report again.' 'One more thing: the government has once again appointed a new committee. I say clearly, let the committee's report come or not, but such actions will not be tolerated again, and that's final! The government should engrave this in their minds forever! We assume this decision has been permanently cancelled, and the people of Maharashtra have assumed the same. So, do not create confusion with the committee's report again, otherwise, the government should note that this committee will not be allowed to function in Maharashtra,' he said. (ANI)
