MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government on Sunday withdrew its controversial resolutions on the three-language policy for schools following strong opposition and state-wide protests.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that a new expert committee will be formed to review the policy and recommend the next steps.
He said the decision on the third language policy was accepted by former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray based on the recommendations of scientist Raghunath Mashelkar.
He pointed out that "one of the members of Shiv Sena (UBT) had recommended introducing Hindi as a third language from primary school" and had even suggested that "Marathi, English, and Hindi should be made mandatory up to graduation so that students can learn the languages properly."
Fadnavis added that Uddhav Thackeray himself had agreed to implement the report and its recommendations at the time.
"But now Uddhav Thackeray has reversed his stand and is opposing Hindi as a third language in schools," Fadnavis said, adding that the present government had, in fact, created opportunities for students to learn a third language from school itself.
He further said that the National Education Policy encourages learning multiple languages from the school level, as it is the right age to acquire them.
Fadnavis clarified that the government is not in favour of imposing any language in schools. "The decision regarding Hindi as a third language will be taken only after discussions and consultations with all stakeholders. Whatever decision is made will be a unanimous one," he said.
He added that Maharashtra Education Minister Dada Bhuse met MNS chief Raj Thackeray as part of the government’s outreach efforts on the issue.
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Saturday said the state government had withdrawn its decision to introduce Hindi as a third language in schools, and it was now up to the Thackeray brothers to cancel their proposed march on July 5 against the move.
Reacting to the development, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had taken a "clever decision" by scrapping the government resolution (GR) on introducing Hindi as the third language. He called it a "victory of Marathi unity."
Raut claimed the state government had sensed the growing influence of the Thackeray brothers, their renewed unity, and the possible impact of the July 5 mega march, which forced the Mahayuti government to withdraw its decision.
"However, we have now decided to cancel the July 5 march. The Thackeray brand has once again been firmly re-established," Raut added.
Earlier in the day the Shiv Sena (UBT)-led demonstrations in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra, where protestors burned copies of the June 17 resolution. The opposition alleged that the government was attempting to impose Hindi in the state’s school curriculum at the cost of regional languages.
"We have burnt the copies of the GR which means we don't accept it. We don't oppose Hindi but we will not allow its imposition. The government does not understand the reason behind the morcha. Injustice has been meted to Marathi. The question is how much pressure are you going to put on students," Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said earlier on Sunday.
“We have decided to cancel both the government resolutions related to the three-language policy,” Fadnavis told reporters after a cabinet meeting.
“A new committee under the leadership of Dr Narendra Jadhav will be set up to study how the policy should be implemented. The views of all stakeholders will be taken into consideration. For us, Marathi remains at the centre of this policy,” he added.
The withdrawn resolution had proposed that Hindi would "generally" be the third language taught from Classes 1 to 5 in Marathi and English-medium schools. It also offered students the option to study another Indian language instead of Hindi if at least 20 students in a class opted for it.
The policy triggered sharp reactions from opposition parties who argued that the decision would erode the importance of the Marathi language and culture. Uddhav Thackeray clarified that the protest was not against Hindi as a language, but against its forced inclusion.
The Chief Minister, while initially defending the policy as an opportunity for students to broaden their language skills, later stressed that Marathi’s primacy in the state’s education system would not be compromised.
The newly formed committee will now revisit the three-language framework and suggest a balanced approach that respects regional sentiments while aligning with the National Education Policy (NEP) guidelines. Until then, both the April 16 and June 17 resolutions stand cancelled.
Political observers said the decision to withdraw the move to introduce Hindi as a third language could dent the image of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who was seen as trying to position himself as a champion of the North Indian belt and strengthen his prospects in Delhi politics.
"However, the Thackeray brothers, Uddhav and Raj Thackeray, launched a massive movement that quickly began to resonate with the public, forcing the Fadnavis-led government to reverse its decision," an observer said.
They pointed out that despite Raj Thackeray not having a single MLA and Uddhav Thackeray's relatively weakened political position, the strong public backing they received pushed the state government on the back foot.
