MNS chief Raj Thackeray warned the Maharashtra authorities towards imposing Hindi in major colleges. File | Photo Credit: PTI
Referring to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s newest assertion that Hindi could be taught in State colleges at any value, Mr. Thackeray emphasised that everybody residing in Maharashtra should study Marathi. He urged residents to stay vigilant towards what he referred to as an try and impose Hindi beneath the guise of academic reform.
Editorial | Language of unity: On Maharashtra and the difficulty of Hindi
“When they tried to implement it earlier, we shut down retailers. If you [CM] strive once more to impose Hindi on our colleges, we gained’t simply shut retailers — we’ll shut down colleges. I can’t make any compromises over Marathi and the folks of Maharashtra. Those who stay in Maharashtra, to them I wish to say, ‘study Marathi as quickly as potential, wherever you go, converse Marathi’.”
The feedback got here within the wake of the BJP-led State authorities’s controversial coverage resolution — since rolled again — that might have made Hindi obligatory in major colleges. The transfer drew sharp resistance from regional events, together with the MNS and the Shiv Sena (UBT). Though the federal government has since revoked the 2 authorities resolutions, Mr. Fadnavis lately asserted that the three-language components would nonetheless be applied, with a committee now tasked with deciding the grade degree at which Hindi could be launched.
‘Loses identification’
Addressing a rally in Mira Bhayandar, Mr. Thackeray stated: “I can converse higher Hindi than most politicians in Maharashtra. My father was fluent in it. I’m not towards any language, however I’m towards its pressured imposition. There is not any hurt in studying a regional language. There are so many languages on this nation, comparable to Maithili, and so forth. By imposing Hindi, the regional languages dies ultimately and loses its identification, which is the case already in lots of Hindi talking States.”
The MNS chief accused the BJP of utilizing Hindutva as a canopy to advertise Hindi dominance, stating, “This isn’t nationalism; it’s linguistic domination beneath the garb of faith.”
Calling it “unlucky” that the Chief Minister of Maharashtra was advocating for obligatory Hindi, Mr. Thackeray questioned the intent behind the transfer. “This isn’t just about language. They are testing the waters. Their long-term purpose is to sever Mumbai from Maharashtra and merge it with Gujarat,” he alleged.
The MNS chief emphasised the cultural depth of Marathi, claiming it has a 2,500 to three,000-year-old legacy, in comparison with Hindi, which he referred to as “simply 200 years previous.” He stated the federal government’s actions have been an affront to Marathi identification and satisfaction.
He additionally referred to historic figures comparable to Morarji Desai and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, alleging that they held anti-Marathi views after Independence, and urged Maharashtrians to claim themselves by talking in Marathi in all public and official areas. “Wherever you go in Maharashtra, converse in Marathi — and make others converse it too,” he stated.
Taking a swipe on the BJP Godda (Jharkhand) MP’s risk that “Marathi logon ko hum yahan pe patak patak ke maarenge” [We will thrash Marathi people in our region], Mr. Thackeray strongly retaliated and stated, “I dare you come to Mumbai, and ‘Mumbai ke samundar mein hum dubo dubo ke maarenge‘ [we will drown you in Mumbai’s sea].”
The rally, which comes days after MNS employees roughed up a shopkeeper for refusing to talk in Marathi, displays rising tensions over language politics within the State and indicators the social gathering’s intent to place itself on the forefront of the Marathi satisfaction motion forward of upcoming political battles.
Published – July 19, 2025 03:19 am IST
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