Uddhav Thackeray, Sena (UBT) chief
Credit: PTI Photo
Mumbai: The BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena on Thursday accused Uddhav Thackeray of approving the policy of making Hindi compulsory in Maharashtra schools when he was the Chief Minister. heading the Maha Vikas Aghadi government.
“The policy was okayed when Thackeray was the Chief Minister,” state Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar of the BJP said.
“The Dr Raghunath Mashelkar Committee had recommended mandatory teaching of three languages—Marathi, English, and Hindi—from Classes 1 to 12. This proposal was approved by the state cabinet led by Thackeray,” state Marathi Language Minister Uday Samant of Shiv Sena said.
“Despite there being no current move to impose Hindi, Shiv Sena (UBT) is deliberately politicising the issue. The government’s position is clear—there is no plan to impose or mandate Hindi. But with municipal elections nearing, some people are trying to mislead the public for political gain,” said Samant, taking aim at the Thackeray faction.
Samant further stated that a task force was constituted to implement the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
“Led by renowned scientist Dr Raghunath Mashelkar, the committee recommended the inclusion of Marathi, English, and Hindi as compulsory subjects from Class 1 to 12. The report was submitted to the state government and approved in a cabinet meeting chaired by Uddhav Thackeray on 27 January 2022. If the Thackeray faction truly opposed the compulsory Hindi provision under NEP 2020, why didn’t they object to it back then?” asked Samant, calling their current opposition a case of “double standards.”