{"id":6175,"date":"2025-06-27T10:50:54","date_gmt":"2025-06-27T09:50:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/viralplanetnews.com\/?p=6175"},"modified":"2025-06-27T10:50:54","modified_gmt":"2025-06-27T09:50:54","slug":"language-row-in-maharashtra-sharad-pawar-says-majority-speak-hindi-but-forcing-it-on-kids-is-wrong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/viralplanetnews.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/27\/language-row-in-maharashtra-sharad-pawar-says-majority-speak-hindi-but-forcing-it-on-kids-is-wrong\/","title":{"rendered":"Language Row in Maharashtra: Sharad Pawar Says \u2018Majority Speak Hindi, But Forcing It on Kids Is Wrong\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By<\/strong> :- Shruti Tiwari<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A new political controversy has erupted in Maharashtra over the state government\u2019s decision to introduce Hindi as a third language<\/strong> from Classes 1 to 5<\/strong> in all Marathi and English medium schools. While the government claims the move aims to strengthen linguistic diversity, opposition parties have strongly objected, calling it an attack on Marathi identity<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sharad Pawar: \u201cNot Anti-Hindi, But Don\u2019t Impose It on Young Children\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Speaking to reporters in Kolhapur, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar<\/strong> addressed the issue, clarifying that Maharashtra is not against the Hindi language<\/strong>, but criticized the imposition of Hindi on young children<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cAround 55% of India\u2019s population speaks Hindi<\/strong>, so the language cannot be ignored. However, in the early years of schooling, a child\u2019s mother tongue<\/strong> should be the medium of instruction,\u201d Pawar said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

He emphasized that introducing Hindi after Class 5<\/strong> may benefit students in terms of broader communication and future opportunities, but forcing it upon children in primary classes is inappropriate<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Does the New Government Order Say?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Maharashtra government has mandated that Hindi be taught as a third language<\/strong> in Marathi and English medium schools from Classes 1 to 5<\/strong>. However, an exemption clause exists \u2014 if 20 or more students per class opt for another Indian language<\/strong>, schools can offer that instead of Hindi. In such cases, either a dedicated teacher will be appointed<\/strong> or online teaching<\/strong> will be arranged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Uddhav and Raj Thackeray Lead the Opposition<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The move has drawn fierce opposition from regional leaders, including Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray<\/strong> and MNS chief Raj Thackeray<\/strong>. Both have accused the ruling government of trying to undermine Marathi culture and language<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint protest strategy, both parties have announced large-scale demonstrations<\/strong> on July 5 and 7<\/strong>, calling the policy a step towards “linguistic emergency”<\/strong> in the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThis is a conspiracy to erase Marathi identity. We will not allow this to happen,\u201d Uddhav Thackeray declared at a public event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Pawar\u2019s Balanced Stand Amidst Political Firestorm<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While supporting the right to protest, Sharad Pawar took a more measured and balanced<\/strong> approach. He urged the Thackeray brothers to clearly present their position and plan of action<\/strong> before mobilizing support from other political parties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIf they want to unite all parties against this decision, they must first share a comprehensive roadmap,\u201d Pawar stated.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Pawar reiterated that no one in Maharashtra is anti-Hindi<\/strong>, but language imposition will not be tolerated<\/strong> under any circumstance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

As the debate over language policy intensifies in Maharashtra, the issue is fast becoming a flashpoint in the broader conversation about cultural identity, linguistic diversity, and federalism in Indian education.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By :- Shruti Tiwari A new political controversy has erupted in Maharashtra over the state government\u2019s decision to introduce Hindi as a third language from Classes 1 to 5 in all Marathi and English medium schools. While the government claims the move aims to strengthen linguistic diversity, opposition parties have strongly objected, calling it an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6176,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4605,27,20],"tags":[6490,6488,6472,6493,6491,6482,6498,6481,39,6486,55,6497,6487,1955,6473,6483,6485,265,6495,6477,2023,4293,6480,6496,6494,6492,5478,6475,6489,6478,6474,6476,4303,3757,6484,6479,48,4301,6499],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/viralplanetnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6175"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/viralplanetnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/viralplanetnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/viralplanetnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/viralplanetnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6175"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/viralplanetnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6175\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6181,"href":"https:\/\/viralplanetnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6175\/revisions\/6181"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/viralplanetnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/viralplanetnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6175"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/viralplanetnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6175"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/viralplanetnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6175"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}