Is the Compulsion of Hindi Acceptable? Raj Thackeray Thinks Not!

Mumbai, June 30 (NationPress) The founder of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, Raj Thackeray, expressed strong opposition on Monday against the enforcement of Hindi as a mandatory language alongside Marathi and English in the state. He highlighted that despite the government's formation of a high-level committee to draft a report on the trilingual formula, it remains unacceptable.

“What is the necessity of Hindi? I still cannot comprehend. Hindi is specific to one region. Implementing Hindi from the first to the fifth grade is not feasible. No committee can change that. Narendra Jadhav (the committee's head) should recall the significant opposition to the coercive introduction of Hindi,” he stated.

He emphasized, “We will not compromise regarding the issue of Marathi.”

“We disregard the committee's conclusions; this will not happen again. We will reject any such measures. The education we experienced included Sanskrit and Hindi post the fifth and sixth grades. Why the push for Hindi merely because it is known?”

Thackeray pointed out the government's intent to impose Hindi, despite opposition from various state officials.

“Even Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar opposed it. Yet, the matter of Hindi compulsion was raised again. The unity of the Marathi people successfully halted the government's attempt to enforce Hindi on young children under the pretext of teaching three languages from grade one,” he remarked.

He noted that on June 29, 2025, the government announced the reversal of this decision, which he considered a victory for the unity of the Marathi people, extending his heartfelt congratulations.

“A victory meeting is scheduled for July 5. This gathering will not feature flags; it will be a congregation of the Marathi populace. Importantly, regardless of the forthcoming committee's report, Hindi will not be taught from the first grade in the state. Details regarding the July 5 victory rally will be communicated shortly,” Thackeray confirmed.

When asked if he and Uddhav Thackeray would unite for the victory march on July 5, Raj Thackeray responded: “I received a call from Sanjay Raut (Shiv Sena UBT MP) asking what our course of action should be. I told him the previously planned morcha must be canceled. Sanjay Raut suggested a victory rally should take place, and I agreed. However, I mentioned that I prefer not to disclose the venue.”

He reiterated that labeling this victorious rally with party affiliations is unnecessary, emphasizing that this is a victory for the Marathi people.

“I am delighted that the Marathi media and everyone else took up this matter. It is vital for the public to be informed about such issues,” he stated.

Raj Thackeray urged opposition parties to refrain from discussing the Hindi compulsion topic during the monsoon session, as the government has already rescinded two resolutions.

“Instead, the opposition should focus on more pressing issues within the state. There are challenges in the education sector, including a lack of schools in several areas, absence of teachers in some institutions, and unpaid salaries for certain educators. These shortcomings need discussion in the legislature,” he remarked.

In response to a question about whether the decision to enforce Hindi from grade one occurred during Uddhav Thackeray's tenure as Chief Minister, Raj Thackeray stated, “I have no information on that. I will oppose anyone against the Marathi people. There are attempts to divide Maharashtra.”

He appealed to the Marathi community to stay vigilant against such plans.