Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday softened his earlier stance regarding the mandatory teaching of Hindi in all state schools. He addressed concerns about the “imposition” of Hindi, stating that only Marathi would be mandated in schools. He also mentioned that students in Class 1 would now have the option to select languages other than Hindi.

However, a resolution issued by the Maharashtra government on April 17 had already designated Hindi as a compulsory third language for students from classes 1 to 5 starting in the 2026-27 academic year, and the new syllabus in line with the National Education Policy is set to take effect this year.

Fadnavis commented, “It is incorrect to claim that there are efforts to impose Hindi. Marathi will remain compulsory in Maharashtra, and there will be no additional requirements. Hindi will not be mandatory,” he shared with reporters in Pune. This statement came shortly after the state’s Marathi Language Department’s language advisory committee requested him to retract the decision mandating Hindi.

He also expressed surprise at the opposition to Indian languages like Hindi, suggesting that people tend to embrace English more. “Why do we hold English in higher regard than our own languages?” Fadnavis queried.

His retreat followed criticism from nearly all opposition parties in Maharashtra about the proposal to teach Hindi from Class 1. The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena declared its intention to prevent the Fadnavis government from enforcing Hindi in schools, while the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), led by Raj Thackeray, initiated protests and hung banners opposing the move.

The Congress party accused the government of attempting to undermine the Marathi language, identity, and culture by making Hindi compulsory. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), led by Sharad Pawar, warned that disregarding Marathi under the guise of the New Education Policy would not be tolerated, and the state unit of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) threatened to protest.

The issue sparked a rare alliance between Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray, who set aside their differences to collectively oppose the promotion of Hindi in Maharashtra.

Meanwhile, Lakshmikant Deshmukh, chairman of the Maharashtra state language consultation committee, wrote to the government stating that making Hindi a mandatory subject from Class 1, alongside Marathi and English, would place an undue burden on primary school students. Copies of the letter were sent to Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, as well as to the Minister for Marathi Language, Uday Samant.

Deshmukh pointed out, “No language has been made compulsory under the National Education Policy. On the contrary, the NEP advocates for education to be delivered in one’s mother tongue. Therefore, enforcing Hindi as a third language is inappropriate.” He noted that the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) did not consult the Maharashtra state language advisory committee before finalizing the language policy.

The committee, consisting of linguists, language scholars, and educators, argued that introducing Hindi at this level is not educationally appropriate. Deshmukh emphasized, “Teaching Hindi as a third language from Class 1 is unnecessary and contradicts established educational principles. We formally request the chief minister to review this decision to avoid overburdening students.”

In the past, several educational organizations, including the Marathi Abhyas Kendra, Maharashtra State Secondary and Higher Secondary Principals’ Association, and Maharashtra Progressive Teachers’ Association, have also written to the state’s education minister requesting a retraction of the decision.

Furthermore, senior educationist Ramesh Panse has endorsed their concerns in support of the letter. These organizations opined that Hindi should only be made compulsory in Maharashtra once northern states commit to teaching Marathi or a Dravidian language, insisting, “North Indians should learn Marathi more than Maharashtrians need to learn Hindi.”

The Marathi Ekikaran Samiti strongly condemned this decision, stating that Hindi cannot be classified as a national language and its compulsion constitutes linguistic imperialism, which is unfair to students.