A fresh language row has ignited Maharashtra’s political landscape, with opposition leaders demanding clarity and regional parties warning of cultural encroachment, following the state government’s indication that Hindi may become the default third language in schools.
Amid the confusion sparked by a recent Government Resolution (GR) stating that "Hindi will be the third language" where 20 or more students opt in, NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) MP Supriya Sule has urged the state government to address the growing unrest and clear the air.
“There is ambiguity everywhere. The government must not leave this to speculation,” Sule told reporters on Wednesday. “I appeal to the Education Minister to hold a formal press conference and explain the policy in unambiguous terms.”
Education Minister Dadaji Bhuse, attempting to douse the flames, clarified that the three-language formula isn't new and that students' and parents’ preferences would guide which language is offered as the third option. “Marathi remains compulsory in all schools in Maharashtra. Hindi, or any other third language, will be taught based on demand. This is not an imposition,” Bhuse said.
But the assurance has not calmed everyone.
Raising the pitch, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has launched a frontal attack against what he calls a "stealth operation" to push Hindi into Maharashtra’s school system. In a sharply worded letter addressed to school principals across the state, Thackeray warned against becoming pawns in what he termed the government's “hidden agenda.”
"If your institutions silently support this plan, we will consider it a betrayal of Maharashtra,” the letter read. “This is not just about a language. It’s about identity, culture, and resistance to central domination.”
Thackeray’s letter, dated June 12, accuses the education department of being in “disarray” since April, when a policy draft reportedly aimed to make Marathi, Hindi, and English mandatory from Class 1. While the government has since backtracked publicly, MNS claims that behind-the-scenes preparation—such as textbook printing—continues unchecked.
"Why are Hindi textbooks being printed if there's no official mandate? Where is the written circular revoking the earlier order?" asked Thackeray, claiming his party workers have documented such activities.
Further intensifying the rhetoric, the MNS chief described the move as part of a larger agenda to "linguistically colonise" Maharashtra. “Hindi is not a national language. It’s the language of a few northern states. Forcing it on Maharashtra is nothing short of linguistic invasion,” he declared.
This is not the first time language politics has stirred emotions in Maharashtra. But with BMC elections looming and the state navigating a delicate coalition equation, the issue could flare into a broader political storm.
