Attempts to impose Hindi over Marathi won't be tolerated: Raj Thackeray

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state government, in the face of mounting opposition to the introduction of Hindi for Classes 1 to 5 in schools, has withdrawn two government orders on the implementation of the three-language policy.

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.

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.