Facing intense public and political backlash, the Maharashtra government has withdrawn its amended resolution mandating Hindi as the default third language in primary schools and announced the formation of a new committee to re-evaluate the three-language policy. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the decision was taken at a cabinet meeting held Sunday, following criticism from social, cultural and opposition groups that accused the government of linguistic overreach.
Fadnavis confirmed the cancellation of both the original and amended government resolutions (GRs) issued earlier this year. “A committee under Dr Narendra Jadhav will be formed to review and decide how the three-language policy should be implemented,” he said. “The policy will be framed after the committee submits its report. For us, the centre point is Marathi.”
The controversy began in April when the government, as part of the phased implementation of the National Education Policy 2020, issued a GR stating that Hindi would be introduced as the default third language from Classes 1 to 5 in both Marathi and English-medium schools. The move prompted immediate pushback from a wide spectrum of stakeholders, with accusations that it undermined linguistic diversity and regional identity.
Though Fadnavis later clarified that Hindi would not be mandatory and that students could choose any Indian language as the third language, the revised GR issued this month retained Hindi as the general default. It included a provision requiring schools to make alternate arrangements—either through special teachers or online modules—if at least 20 students in a class opted for a different language.
Despite the clarification, the public discontent did not subside. Critics continued to argue that the revised order effectively institutionalised Hindi primacy in a linguistically rich state. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), led by Raj Thackeray, spearheaded protests and mobilised Marathi-speaking citizens to resist the change.
The situation intensified further when Raj Thackeray announced a rare political alliance with his estranged cousin, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray. The two leaders committed to a joint protest march in Mumbai against what they described as Hindi imposition, marking a significant moment of unity amid growing public mobilisation.
With the cancellation of the GRs and the formation of a new expert-led committee, the state government appears to be repositioning itself in response to public sentiment, reaffirming Marathi’s primacy while holding space for a broader consultative process on language policy in schools.
