Addressing the rally, Raj Thackeray had raised pointed questions: “What is the third language in Uttar Pradesh or Rajasthan? Why is Hindi being forced on non-Hindi-speaking states while Hindi-speaking states remain economically backward?” Stalin, in his post on X, said, “I know the union government, which prioritises the development of Hindi and Sanskrit, will have no answers to these questions.”Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday clarified that their party is not against Hindi or its speakers but firmly opposes making the language mandatory in Maharashtra’s primary education system. “We speak Hindi, we have Hindi films, Hindi theatre, and Hindi music here, but the imposition of Hindi in primary schools will not be tolerated,” he said.Raut stressed that Maharashtra’s stand is different from that of the southern states. “The southern states have been fighting against the imposition of Hindi for years. Their position is that they will neither speak Hindi nor let others speak Hindi. But that is not our stand. We speak Hindi. Our fight is only against compulsion, not against the language itself,” he said.He further acknowledged Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin’s support but sought to downplay it. “Stalin congratulated us on this win and said he would learn from it. We wish him the best. But our fight is limited to preventing the forced inclusion of Hindi in primary education, nothing more.”Commenting on the coming together of Uddhav and Raj Thackeray after two decades, Raut said, “Yes, the two brothers have united politically, but the real question is, what have they come together for?”
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