Mumbai, April 21 (NationPress) In the midst of ongoing debates regarding the proposal to make Hindi a mandatory language in Classes 1 to 5 in both Marathi and English schools across Maharashtra, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has asserted that it is incorrect to claim that there is an effort to enforce the language. He emphasized that only Marathi will be a required subject, with no additional obligations.

CM Fadnavis stated, “Hindi has not been designated as compulsory in place of Marathi. Only Marathi is obligatory. The New Education Policy allows for the study of three languages. This requirement includes two Indian languages. Hence, Marathi is mandated as one of the two Indian languages. The choice for the third language can be any Indian language, including Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Gujarati, or others. Selection outside these options is not permitted.”

“The steering committee's report indicated that if Hindi is chosen as the third language, we have sufficient teachers available. Consequently, there will be no need for additional instructors. If other languages are selected, teacher availability is limited; that is the committee’s suggestion. There is no encroachment occurring here,” he added.

Regarding the possibility of learning languages aside from Hindi, CM Fadnavis mentioned, “If someone wishes to study a language other than Hindi, we will fully support their desire to learn it. The New Education Policy permits such requests. Nevertheless, if there are at least 20 students, a teacher can be assigned; otherwise, the language will need to be taught through online methods or alternative means. Such educators are also accessible in our border regions, where a bilingual system is in place. It is misleading to assert that there is an effort to impose Hindi. Only Marathi will be mandatory in Maharashtra. No further obligations will exist.”

He further commented, “I find it astonishing that we criticize Indian languages like Hindi while praising English. We prioritize English. We should reflect on why we feel closer to English and more distanced from our native languages.”

The chief minister’s remarks come in the wake of strong resistance from opposition groups. The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena has declared its intention to prevent the government from enforcing Hindi as compulsory, while the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, established by Raj Thackeray, warned that if the government does not retract its decision, conflict is unavoidable.

The Congress party has accused the government of using the compulsory Hindi initiative as a tactic to undermine the Marathi language, identity, and culture. The Sharad Pawar-led NCP cautioned that any efforts to diminish Marathi under the guise of the New Education Policy would face resistance.

In related news, the state government’s language consultation committee has advised the Chief Minister to revoke the decision to mandate Hindi as a third language for students in Classes 1 to 5. The committee’s leader, Laxmikant Deshmukh, indicated that the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) did not take their feedback and recommendations into account before advocating for Hindi.