Under Fire Over Hindi Imposition, Maharashtra Nixes Three-Language Policy, Orders Fresh Review
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday announced that the Government Resolutions (GRs) issued on April 16 and June 17 concerning the three-language policy have been cancelled. He added that a new committee, led by Dr. Narendra Jadhav, to review the matter.
Addressing a press conference, CM Fadnavis informed that in the cabinet meeting held on Sunday, the decision to form the committee was reached. He added that based on the report submitted by the committee, the state government will make a final decision on the implementation of the language policy.
IANS quoted CM Fadnavis as saying, "Today in the Cabinet meeting, we discussed the three-language policy. We have decided that a committee will be formed under the leadership of Dr. Narendra Jadhav to determine from which standard the languages should be implemented, how the implementation should take place, and what choices should be given to students... Based on the report submitted by this committee, the state government will make a final decision on the implementation of the three-language policy."
"Until then, both the Government Resolutions (GRs) issued on 16th April 2025 and 17th June 2025 have been cancelled," he added.
Mumbai, Maharashtra: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis says, "Today in the Cabinet meeting, we discussed the three-language policy. We have decided that a committee will be formed under the leadership of Dr. Narendra Jadhav to determine from which standard the languages should be… pic.twitter.com/vamyX5CNEX — IANS (@ians_india) June 29, 2025
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Gazette
an hour ago
- India Gazette
Maharashtra CM Fadnavis, CJI BR Gavai attend inauguration of MNLU buildings; highlights 'Indianisation' of new criminal laws
Nagpur (Maharashtra), June 30 (ANI): Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said the three new criminal laws brought in by the Centre are not merely a change in names but a step towards the 'Indianisation' of the criminal justice system. Fadnavis made the remarks while attending the inauguration ceremony of the Administrative Building and Central Library Building of Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU) in Nagpur. The event was also attended by Chief Justice of India BR Gavai, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and other dignitaries. 'We have made three new laws in our criminal justice system. The IPC of 1860 has been renamed as the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the CrPC has been renamed as the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and the Indian Evidence Act is now known as the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam. This is not just a change in the nomenclature, but we have also done the Indianisation of these laws,' Fadnavis said. He further said, 'On one side, it's our Constitution, which is the greatest in the world, and the Constitution, which has evolved by many decisions of the Courts, is our fundamental value. Along with this, we must adapt ourselves to counter the evolving challenges.' The new criminal laws, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, came into force across India on July 1, 2024, and are aimed at improving transparency, speeding up trials, and addressing modern legal challenges. Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government on Sunday withdrew two controversial resolutions related to the implementation of the three-language policy in schools, following criticism from opposition parties. The resolutions, passed on April 16 and June 17, had made Hindi a compulsory third language in Marathi and English-medium schools, triggering backlash over concerns of linguistic imposition. Clarifying the state's stance, CM Fadnavis announced the formation of a committee to examine the implementation of the three-language formula. The committee will be headed by Dr Narendra Jadhav, a former Rajya Sabha MP and economist. '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,' Fadnavis said. The CM's statements sought to allay concerns after the opposition accused the government of pushing Hindi at the expense of regional languages. The inauguration at MNLU comes amid ongoing discussions about education, language policy, and legal reform in Maharashtra and across the country. (ANI)
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
July 5 protest march to go ahead as victory rally: Uddhav
Mumbai: After the state government announced its decision to scrap the two government resolutions (GRs) on introducing Hindi in schools from class 1, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said the protest rally planned on July 5 in conjunction with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) would be turned into a victory rally. He urged his cousin and MNS chief Raj Thackeray and other opposition parties and civil society groups opposing the move to introduce Hindi in schools to participate in the rally. Before the government announced the decision to scrap the GRs, organisations working for the cause of the Marathi language burnt copies of the GRs at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai (Hindustan Times) The Thackeray cousins' decision to hold a joint protest rally in Mumbai on July 5 was seen as a politically significant development ahead of the local body polls scheduled later this year as they were supposed to come together publicly after nearly two decades. The rally was garnering visible response from people as well as opposition parties, which staged a notional protest on Sunday by burning copies of the GRs issued by the government. Addressing the media after Fadnavis announced that the GRs had been scrapped, Uddhav Thackeray said the issue had awakened the Marathi. 'I am proud of the power of the Marathi people which defeated the government's agenda. This again shows what the people can do when they come together,' the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief said. The protest rally planned on July 5 would be converted into a celebration rally, he declared, saying the time and format of the programme would be announced after discussions with all the concerned people. 'The unity of Marathi people should not be allowed to break once again. I am requesting the Marathi Bhasha Samiti, the MNS and others to participate in the programme on July 5,' Thackeray said. When asked if he and Raj Thackeray could come together in the near future, Uddhav responded saying, 'I am repeating it again that instead of coming together during a crisis, if we remain united, crisis will not come.' MNS chief Raj Thackeray too said that their unity had forced the state government to change its decision and hoped the unity would hold, although he did not respond to Uddhav's invitation to join the celebratory rally on July 5. 'The attempt to force Hindi in Maharashtra has now finally been defeated, and for this, congratulations are due to all the people of Maharashtra… Perhaps the government was intimidated by this unity and that's a good thing, they should be afraid,' Raj Thackeray said in a post on social media platform X. He also said further attempts to make Hindi compulsory in schools would not be tolerated. 'The government has once again appointed a new committee. Let me say this clearly, whether the committee's report comes out or not, such actions will no longer be tolerated. The government must etch this fact permanently into their mind,' he warned. NCP (SP) too referred to the scrapping of the GRs as a victory of the Marathi people. 'The decision mandating Hindi has been scrapped. This is the strength of Marathi people. It is also the victory of Marathi people,' state NCP (SP) chief Jayant Patil said in a post on X. The party has not responded to Uddhav's invitation to join the victory rally on July 5. Before the government announced the decision to scrap the GRs, organisations working for the cause of the Marathi language burnt copies of the GRs at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai. Opposition leaders including Uddhav Thackeray, Maharashtra Congress chief Harshavardhan Sakpal, MNS leader Nitin Sardesai and leaders from Left parties participated in the protest. 'Today, we have burnt the GR to ashes. If they still want to force Hindi on us, we will see how to deal with it,' Uddhav was quoted saying while leaving the venue.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Govt scraps GRs on 3-language policy in schools amid pressure from allies, people
Mumbai: Days after the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and his estranged cousin Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray announced that they would stage a massive protest on July 5 against the state government's move to introduce Hindi as the third language in schools from class 1, the government on Monday scrapped the decision. It also announced the formation of a committee under former Mumbai University vice-chancellor and Planning Commission member Narendra Jadhav to recommend steps for implementation of the three-language formula in schools as per the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020. Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis addressed the media at the Sahyadri state guest house. (Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times) Addressing the media on Monday on the eve of the state legislature's monsoon session, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said the two government resolutions (GR) on introducing Hindi as the third language, issued on April 16 and June 17, had been scrapped. 'The decision has not been taken under pressure, but because policies of the state government are aimed at safeguarding the interests of students,' Fadnavis said. The committee headed by Jadhav will have members from the field of education and it will submit its report within three months after studying the report of Raghunath Mashelkar committee, the chief minister said. The Mahayuti government's U-turn on the contentious language policy came amid uproar among Marathi-speaking people in the state and pressure from its partners in the ruling alliance, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Shiv Sena. The decision to scrap the two GRs was taken during a separate meeting held after the cabinet meeting on Sunday, sources told Hindustan Times. During the meeting which lasted around 20 minutes, Shiv Sena ministers Sajay Shirsat and Dada Bhuse said the government should rethink the decision as public sentiment was completely against it, the sources said. The move may mar the ruling alliance's prospects in the ensuing local body polls, the sources quoted them saying. Shiv Sena chief and deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde said though they had been following the 'alliance dharma', Marathi pride was the soul of their party and they could not support the decision, the sources added. Shinde's counterpart, deputy chief minister and NCP chief Ajit Pawar, had already opposed the decision, saying Hindi should be introduced from class 5. Fadnavis agreed to withdraw the GRs taking the sentiments of the two parties into consideration. Before announcing the decision to scrap the GRs, he said the move to introduce Hindi as a compulsory third language in schools was taken by the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government headed by Uddhav Thackeray. 'The MVA government accepted the three-language formula on September 21, 2020 and a GR to that effect was issued on October 16, 2020. The government then constituted a committee under Raghunath Mashelkar which recommended that Hindi and English be made compulsory in schools.' Fadnavis said. The 18-member committee, which included Shiv Sena (UBT) deputy leader Vijay Kadam, submitted its 101-page report on September 12, 2021 and the state cabinet under Thackeray accepted its recommendations on January 7, 2022, Fadnavis said, displaying a copy of the minutes of the cabinet meeting. 'The Mashelkar committee had recommended that Hindi be made compulsory in schools as it would help students excel in education and professional life,' Fadnavis said. The Mahayuti government issued the two GRs in April and June in pursuance with work done by a panel appointed by the MVA government to implement the Mashelkar committee report. 'We changed the decision to make Hindi mandatory and made it optional,' he noted. Students from Maharashtra would lose academic credits on account of not studying Hindi in school, placing them at a disadvantage compared to students from Gujarat or other states, the chief minister said. Minutes after the announcement by the state government, the MNS and Shiv Sena (UBT) said the protest march scheduled on July 5 had been cancelled. 'The decision taken by the government is due to pressure from the Marathi people who had decided to take out a huge protest march,' Uddhav Thackeray said in response to the government scrapping the GRs. Though the protest march was cancelled, Shiv Sena (UBT) would celebrate the victory by holding a victory rally on July 5, Uddhav Thackeray said, inviting the MNS and other opposition parties to join the rally. MNS chief Raj Thackeray said, 'A new committee has now been constituted. But the Mahayuti government must bear in mind that irrespective of the committee's report, we will not let this (introduction of Hindi from class 1) happen again in Maharashtra.' When Fadnavis was asked about the possibility of Uddhav and Raj Thackeray joining hands for the rally on July 5, he said they only wanted to politicise the issue and their coming together would not have much impact. 'If the two Thackerays are coming together, I wish them good luck,' he said. Deepak Pawar from the Marathi Abhyas Kendra, a civil society group leading efforts to stall the imposition of Hindi in schools, strongly criticised the government's decision to appoint a fresh committee. 'Neither the NEP, nor the state education plan mentions any requirement for a third language,' Pawar said. He also raised concerns about Jadhav heading the committee, saying it was inappropriate to appoint someone who was not an expert in child education to decide on such a crucial issue. The government set up the committee with the sole intention of getting a report that aligns with its predetermined agenda, he alleged.
