The controversy over mandatory Hindi in Maharashtra has intensified. Sharad Pawar stated that imposing Hindi is not appropriate. The opposition is aggressive, and the government has backtracked, making Hindi an optional language. The Thackeray brothers are in opposition.
Maharashtra: The ongoing debate over making Hindi mandatory in primary education in Maharashtra has ignited political tensions in the state. The opposition and the ruling party are at odds on this issue. Sharad Pawar, the head of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction), has suggested a middle ground on this sensitive matter, stating that making Hindi compulsory in primary education is not appropriate. He suggested that Hindi should be taught after the fifth grade, to which he has no objection.
Sharad Pawar's Balanced Stance
Sharad Pawar believes that undue pressure of an additional language should not be put on young children. He stated that it would be wrong if a child is forced to learn another language, neglecting their mother tongue. Pawar said that since the number of Hindi speakers in the country is high, learning Hindi in later stages is not wrong. But the mother tongue should be given priority in the beginning.
Suggestions to the Government
Pawar appealed to the state government to reconsider its decision to make Hindi mandatory until the fifth grade. He said that the mother tongue should hold the highest place in the education system of any state. If the parents of a student wish for them to learn another language after the fifth grade, a decision can be made on that.
Opposition's Attack on the Fadnavis Government
Opposition parties have adopted an aggressive stance against the Fadnavis government on this issue. Uddhav Thackeray, the chief of Shiv Sena (UBT) and former Chief Minister, alleged that the attempt to impose Hindi is a step towards the dominance of a single language and a single party. He said that they are not against Hindi, but nothing imposed by force can be democratic.
MNS's Strong Opposition
Raj Thackeray, the chief of MNS (Maharashtra Navnirman Sena), has also openly opposed the government on this issue. MNS workers are running a signature campaign in support of the Marathi language and are protesting against the mandatory nature of Hindi.
Government Backtracks
Faced with growing opposition, the Fadnavis government tried to control the damage by declaring Hindi as an optional language instead of the third mandatory language. Deputy Chief Minister of the state, Eknath Shinde, clarified that nothing can be imposed by force in a democracy. He said that the mandatory use of the word "Hindi" has also been removed from the education curriculum.
Education Minister's Meeting with Raj Thackeray
The state's Education Minister, Dadaji Bhuse, had met with MNS chief Raj Thackeray on this issue. However, despite this meeting, Raj Thackeray is sticking to his stand. He reiterated that there will be no compromise on the pride of the Marathi language.
