The Maharashtra government’s latest order introducing Hindi as the “general” third language from Classes 1 to 5 in Marathi and English medium schools has reignited controversy, drawing sharp criticism from Marathi language activists and opposition parties.
According to the amended government resolution (GR), issued on Tuesday by the School Education Department under the ‘State Curriculum Framework for School Education 2024’, Hindi will “generally” be the third language in primary education. However, the directive adds that if 20 students per grade per school opt for another Indian language, the institution may offer that alternative — either by appointing a teacher or through online instruction.
While the GR does not make Hindi mandatory, critics have termed the provision a veiled attempt at backdoor imposition. “This is nothing but the backdoor imposition of Hindi,” claimed Deepak Pawar of the Marathi Bhasha Abhyas Kendra, a Mumbai-based organisation dedicated to promoting Marathi.
Pawar further warned, “The government has betrayed the Marathi people. If we remain silent now, it will pave the way for dismantling the federal structure and the legacy of the Samyukta Maharashtra movement.”
The Congress launched a fierce attack on the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP (Ajit Pawar) alliance government. State Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal described the move as a “planned plot to impose Hindi” and accused Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of “stabbing the Marathi people in the chest”.
“The public was deceived by saying that the compulsion of Hindi as a third language has been abolished. But what does the GR say?” Sapkal asked in a post on X. He argued that the alternative language condition — requiring a minimum of 20 students — was a token gesture masking the government's true intentions.
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“This is BJP's anti-Maharashtra agenda and a conspiracy to eliminate the Marathi language, Marathi identity and Marathi people,” he alleged, further charging that the loyalty of Fadnavis, Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar lies with “Delhi” rather than Maharashtra.
Sapkal also attacked Shinde’s faction of Shiv Sena, accusing it of betraying the legacy of Balasaheb Thackeray. “They hold the education ministry and have taken the initiative to kill Marathi in the same way that they stabbed Shiv Sena in the back,” he said.
The provision has also drawn criticism from Vasant Kalpande, former chairman of the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education. He argued that finding 20 students willing to opt for a language other than Hindi in one school standard was unlikely and called the online-teaching provision a deterrent.
“Although Marathi and Hindi have similar scripts, it will be too much for students of such young age to learn the nuances and differences between the scripts,” Kalpande remarked.
Kalpande also highlighted that BJP-ruled states such as Gujarat and Assam have not made Hindi compulsory as a third language.
Earlier this year, School Education Minister Dada Bhuse faced widespread backlash after announcing Hindi would be introduced from Class 1. On 22 April, Bhuse said the plan had been shelved and that the three-language formula would be held in abeyance. However, the new GR appears to contradict those assurances.
At a public function in Pune last month, Bhuse said: “The decision to introduce Hindi from class 1 as a third language was taken earlier. However, many parents have suggested it be introduced from class 3 instead. We will consider these suggestions before taking any further decision.”
Despite these earlier statements, the latest directive has revived fears among regional language proponents of creeping centralisation under the “One Nation, One Language” vision attributed to the BJP and RSS.
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