The political landscape in Maharashtra is heating up over the issue of making Hindi a compulsory third language in schools, with former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis claiming that his predecessor, Uddhav Thackeray, had accepted a report recommending this policy. This has ignited a fresh war of words between the ruling and opposition parties, even leading to a rare instance of unity between estranged cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray, who are planning joint protests against what they term the "imposition" of Hindi.

The controversy stems from the Maharashtra government's recent directive outlining the implementation of the 'State Curriculum Framework for School Education 2024', aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The initial government resolution (GR) stated that Hindi would "generally" be the third language in Marathi and English medium schools for Classes 1 to 5. This sparked immediate backlash, with critics arguing that it effectively imposed Hindi, contradicting the NEP's promise of linguistic choice.

Amidst the uproar, the state government issued a corrigendum clarifying that Hindi is not compulsory, and students can choose any Indian language if at least 20 students per grade opt for it. School Education Minister Dada Bhuse assured that Hindi would not be imposed, emphasizing that schools have the autonomy to select the third language based on student interest. He also clarified that the focus for Classes 1 and 2 would be on spoken skills, with written components introduced from Class 3 onwards.

However, this clarification has failed to quell the opposition's concerns. Congress state president Harsh Vardhan Sapkal dismissed the clarification, stating that changing words does not change the intent. MNS chief Raj Thackeray accused the government of bowing to "bureaucratic pressure" and urged school principals to resist the order.

Uddhav Thackeray, chief of Shiv Sena (UBT), has been a vocal critic of the move, calling it a "language emergency" and accusing the BJP of trying to create a divide among people based on language. He stated that his party is not against Hindi but opposes its imposition in a predominantly Marathi-speaking state. Thackeray has demanded that Chief Minister Fadnavis clearly state that Hindi will not be made compulsory in state schools. He also mentioned that during his tenure as Chief Minister from 2019 to 2022, he made Marathi a compulsory subject in all schools in Maharashtra.

Adding fuel to the fire, Marathi language activists have accused the government of reintroducing the policy through the "backdoor" after initially backtracking on it. They point out that the amended order still gives preference to Hindi, as students can only opt for another Indian language if a minimum of 20 students per school express their desire.

In response to the criticism, Chief Minister Fadnavis has clarified that there is no imposition of Hindi and that Marathi remains compulsory. He stated that the state's steering committee suggested Hindi as the third language because sufficient trained teachers are already available. He also emphasized that if schools want to offer other languages, they are welcome to do so.

The controversy has also brought the Thackeray cousins, Uddhav and Raj, together. Both the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS have announced a joint march in Mumbai on July 5 to protest the "imposition" of Hindi. This move is seen as a significant political development, with both leaders aiming to revive their political fortunes by uniting over the language issue.

Maharashtra's Marathi language minister, Uday Samant, has countered the criticism by claiming that the policy of making Hindi compulsory was approved in January 2022 during Uddhav Thackeray's tenure as Chief Minister. He stated that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, led by Thackeray, had set up a task force in October 2020 to implement the National Education Policy (NEP), which recommended a three-language formula.

The debate over the three-language formula and the role of Hindi in Maharashtra's education system is likely to continue in the upcoming monsoon session of the state legislature. With the opposition determined to raise the issue and the Thackeray cousins joining forces, the Fadnavis government may face a challenging time ahead. The situation highlights the delicate balance between national integration, linguistic diversity, and regional pride in India.