Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar on Friday strongly opposed the Maharashtra government’s move to make Hindi a compulsory third language for Classes 1 to 5, declaring that such a policy undermines children’s linguistic and cultural foundations.

“At the primary level, the mother tongue is critical for a child’s development. Making Hindi mandatory from Classes 1 to 4 is not in the best interest of the students. Even after Class 5, imposing any language compulsorily is not right. It should be introduced in a manner that allows children to learn it voluntarily and meaningfully,” Pawar told reporters.

He expressed solidarity with Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray, who have announced protests against the decision, praising them for defending Marathi identity and language.

“Both Thackerays have taken a strong stand. If they want all political parties to join the protest, we must understand their detailed plan. I will be meeting them soon,” Pawar added, hinting at possible opposition unity on the issue.

The state government’s revised language policy has come under fire for making Hindi generally compulsory in Marathi and English medium schools, allowing students to opt for other Indian languages only if a minimum of 20 students per grade request it. Critics warn this could marginalise Marathi and other regional languages in the long run.

Both Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) have labelled the move as an attempt to trigger a “language emergency” and weaken the presence of Marathi in schools. Uddhav Thackeray has planned a protest on July 7, while Raj Thackeray will lead a demonstration on July 5.