Maharashtra halts mandatory Hindi order amid backlash over language imposition

Facing mounting criticism and political opposition, the Maharashtra government has paused its decision to make Hindi a compulsory subject in schools.

State School Education Minister Dada Bhuse announced the stay on the directive, which was part of a government resolution (GR) issued earlier this month.

The move comes after widespread resistance from political parties, including the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) led by Raj Thackeray, and the Congress. The government's Language Advisory Committee had also urged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to reconsider the policy.

Just days after the initial order was announced, Chief Minister Fadnavis had already begun to dial back the plan, asserting that only Marathi is compulsory in Maharashtra. “Everyone should learn Marathi. If someone wants to learn other languages, they can. But opposing Marathi won’t be tolerated,” he said, also expressing surprise over the preference for English and criticism of Hindi.

Raj Thackeray, a vocal opponent of what he calls “Hindi imposition,” likened the situation to the resistance in southern states like Tamil Nadu, where opposition parties have long pushed back against Hindi dominance. Thackeray called on the state to keep any trilingual policies confined to official use and away from the education system. “We will not allow the Centre’s attempt to ‘Hindi-ify’ everything to succeed in Maharashtra,” he warned.

Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar echoed the sentiment, stating that enforcing Hindi as a third language would be a blow to Marathi language and identity, and demanded that the notification be withdrawn completely.