The BJP-led Mahayuti government in Maharashtra has reintroduced Hindi as the third language in primary schools, sparking sharp criticism from the opposition. A GR issued late Tuesday night states that while Hindi will not be compulsory, it will function as the default third language unless schools register at least 20 students opting for an alternative.According to the state’s school education department, Marathi and English will remain mandatory, while Hindi will be the third language by default. However, students may choose other languages such as French or Spanish, provided at least 20 opt for it. Even in such cases, the state government has clarified that it will not be responsible for appointing teachers for non-Hindi languages; such courses may instead be delivered through online platforms.“This is nothing short of a backdoor imposition of Hindi,” said Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal. “BJP and RSS are pushing their ‘one nation, one language’ ideology by masking it under bureaucratic jargon. We strongly condemn and will protest this decision.”Sapkal also questioned the silence of regional allies like the Shiv Sena and NCP, accusing them of compromising Marathi pride while allowing Hindi to be pushed in the state’s education system.Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis defended the move, calling it consistent with the Centre’s National Education Policy (NEP). “As per NEP, students should learn three languages: their mother tongue (Marathi), a global language (English), and Hindi, which is among the most spoken languages,” he said. “If we are comfortable learning English, why object to Hindi?”Fadnavis added that schools still have the option to offer other languages, but the state has adequate teachers only for Hindi. “I’ve also spoken with Raj Thackeray and hope the opposition understands the rationale,” he said.However, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray rejected the explanation. “If Hindi is not mandatory in Gujarat, why should it be in Maharashtra? We will not allow any such imposition,” he said.MNS workers staged protests across parts of the state, burning Hindi textbooks and demanding immediate withdrawal of the GR.
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