With the Maharashtra government giving a nod for the three-language policy, making Hindi a mandatory third language for students between Classes 1 and 5, the Opposition in the state has got a fresh boost. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray has taken the most aggressive stand on the issue, joined by his estranged cousin and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray. The Congress unit in the state too has joined the regional parties to staunchly oppose the imposition of Hindi in state schools. The timing seems to have aligned for the Opposition, with the local body polls coming up. Particularly in Mumbai, a city that has historically seen the Marathi v/s non-Marathi conversation play out, the issue could be of importance. A wary BJP is treading carefully on the issue as it does not want to be seen as being anti-Marathi. Fadnavis himself has underlined that he believes “everyone in Maharashtra should know Marathi”, while making a case for “one medium of communication across the country”. “Hindi has become a convenient language. It is useful to learn it," the CM has said. Hindi in Maharashtra Unlike the southern states where Hindi opposition is strongest, Maharashtra has a large Hindi-speaking population in Vidarbha and Marathwada. The anger in the Opposition seems to be more driven by assertion of Marathi identity compared to antagonism towards Hindi. It was around the mid-1950s that the agitation for a separate Marathi-speaking state within the then Bombay state -which included present-day Gujarat, and parts of northwestern Karnataka - was launched by 'Samyukta Maharashtra Movement'. Their agitation bore fruit in 1960, with Parliament passing The Bombay Reorganisation Act, which provided that "as from the appointed day (May 1, 1960), there shall be formed a new State to be known as the State of Gujarat comprising the following territories from the State of Bombay, namely. and thereupon, the said territories shall cease to form part of the State of Bombay, and the residuary State of Bombay shall be known as the State of Maharashtra". Mumbai then became the capital of Maharashtra. Six years later, when Bal Thackeray formed the Shiv Sena, the stated goal was to protect the “Marathi Manoos” against perceived dominance of South Indians and Gujarathis in bank jobs and business respectively. As the Shiv Sena grew, workers of the party rallied against South Indians in the '80s and North Indians from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar subsequently. Under its rule, the party made Marathi name plates compulsory in shops and establishments as well as mandated Marathi in banks and government offices. Shiv Sena under Bal Thackeray claimed that Maharashtra was being discriminated against by the Centre - much as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin is saying now. In fact, the new shape and form around the language debate has also taken its cue from Stalin's stance, making language the pivot of his federalism argument. The first stirrings were in March, when senior RSS leader Suresh Bhayyaji Joshi's statement that “Mumbai does not have one language” and that “people coming to Mumbai don’t have to learn Marathi” triggered a controversy, drawing fire from the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) parties. According to a Government Resolution issued on Thursday, Hindi as a third language will be compulsory from Class 1 to 5 from the next academic year. The new syllabus as per NEP will be implemented for Class 1 in 2025-26. For Classes 2, 3, 4 and 6, the policy will be implemented in 2026-27, for Classes 5, 9 and 11 from 2027-28, and for Classes 8, 10 and 12 from 2028-29. In Maharashtra schools, studying English and Marathi is mandatory through government policy. Other language schools, which are fewer in number, already had to deal with a third medium of instruction. For example, a Gujarati-medium school would teach Gujarati language, apart from the mandatory English and Marathi. At a rally held in Nashik earlier this week, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said: “The BJP’s strategy is to further divide the people on language. We oppose their politics. BJP leaders at the Centre have always undermined Maharashtra." Uddhav also brought in the sensitive issue of certain projects initially planned for Maharashtra moving to Gujarat under the Modi government. MNS chief Raj Thackeray, who is leading the attack on the issue, wrote on X: “We will not allow the Centre to thrust Hindi in the name of the three-language formula in schools in Maharashtra. There seems to be a strategy on part of the government to create polarisation between Marathi and non-Marathi people." Vijay Waddetiwar, the Congress floor leader in the Maharashtra Assembly, said the BJP was “systematically working to undermine the state’s authority”. “It is an attack on the Marathi language. The BJP wants to undermine state language. And that is the real issue. Why shouldn't the state have the right to decide? Why should the centre thrust Hindu in schools?” he asked. On Friday, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers held a demonstration in Navi Mumbai to oppose the government’s decision. Students took to streets, raised slogans and burnt copies of the government resolution that announced the three-language formula. A day earlier, Gujarati and Marathi neighbours clashed in a housing society in Mumbai after a Marathi family was allegedly insulted for eating non-vegetarian food. MNS workers were present on the scene and warned the members of the housing society, accusing them of ill-treating Marathi-speaking families living there.
