'Attempts To Impose Hindi Over Marathi Won't Be Tolerated,' Says MNS Chief Raj Thackeray

Mumbai: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Monday said while Hindi may be spoken widely, it is not a national language to be imposed on other states, and attempts to place it above Marathi, which is an older language, will not be tolerated.

The MNS and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) have been at the forefront in opposing the "imposition of Hindi" as a third language for primary classes in schools.

The state government, in the face of mounting opposition to the introduction of Hindi for Classes 1 to 5 in schools, has withdrawn two government orders on the implementation of the three-language policy.

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Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced the formation of a committee headed by educationist Narendra Jadhav to suggest the way forward on the language policy.

Talking to reporters, Thackeray said, "People are trying to make the 150 to 200-year-old Hindi language appear superior to Marathi, which has a history of over 3,000 years. This is unacceptable, and I will not allow it." He questioned the legitimacy of branding Hindi as a national language in a country with such linguistic diversity.

"Hindi is not the rashtra bhasha (national language) to be imposed on other states. This kind of coercion is not right," the MNS chief said.

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The Fadnavis government issued a GR on April 16, making Hindi a compulsory third language for students in classes 1 to 5 studying in English and Marathi medium schools. Amid backlash, the government issued an amended GR on June 17, making Hindi an optional language.

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