"CM against Marathi language": Uddhav Thackeray amid language row

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 29 (ANI): Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday launched scathing attack on Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis accusing him of being "against the Marathi language" as the government withdrew its resolutions on three language policy and announced formation of new committee to discuss it further.
"Why is the Chief Minister against Marathi?.... They should discuss other important issues...The assembly session is going to start...Why is there poison in the mind (of the Chief Minister) against the Marathi language? The Chief Minister is against the Marathi language...," Thackery told reporters.
Maharashtra Government on Sunday cancelled the two orders on implementation of the three-language policy after facing heavy criticism from the opposition, who accused them of "imposing Hindi" on the people of the state.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, informing about the cancellation of the resolutions that were passed on April 16 and June 17, announced that a committee will be formed to discuss the implementation of the three-language formula in the state.
The committee will be headed by former Rajya Sabha MP Narendra Jadhav.
"A committee under Dr Narendra Jadhav will be formed to discuss the implementation of the three-language formula in the state... Until the committee submits its report, both government resolutions (of April 16 and June 17) have been cancelled by the government," Devendra Fadnavis said.
The Maharashtra government has come under fire because on April 16, they passed a resolution which mandated Hindi as the compulsory third language in Marathi and English-medium schools.
However, in response to the backlash, the government revised the policy on June 17 through an amended resolution, stating, "Hindi will be the third language. For those who want to learn another language, at least 20 willing students are required."
On June 24, Devendra Fadnavis stated that the final decision regarding the three-language formula will be taken only after discussions with litterateurs, language experts, political leaders, and all other concerned parties, which has now led to the cancellation of both resolution and the formation of a committee under Narendra Jadhav.
While making the announcement today, Fadnavis also alleged that it was former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray who had accepted the recommendations of the Dr Raghunath Mashelkar committee to introduce a three-language policy from class 1 to 12, and had also constituted a panel for its implementation, according to a press note by the Maharashtra Government.
"The decision on the Three-Language Formula was taken by Uddhav Thackeray himself during his tenure," Fadnavis said.
Following the announcement, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) Chief Raj Thackeray said that the government resolutions were cancelled solely due to the pressure from the Marathi people.
"The decision to impose the Hindi language under the pretext of teaching three languages from the first grade has finally been withdrawn. The government has cancelled the two GRs related to this. This cannot be called belated wisdom, because this imposition was withdrawn solely due to the pressure from the Marathi people. Why the government was so adamant about the Hindi language and who exactly was pressuring the government for this remains a mystery," Raj Thackeray wrote on X.
Raj Thackeray further defied the formation of the committee on the three-language policy, saying that they assume this decision has been permanently cancelled and the government shouldn't create "confusion with the committee's report again."
"One more thing: the government has once again appointed a new committee. I say clearly, let the committee's report come or not, but such actions will not be tolerated again, and that's final! The government should engrave this in their minds forever! We assume this decision has been permanently cancelled, and the people of Maharashtra have assumed the same. So, do not create confusion with the committee's report again, otherwise, the government should note that this committee will not be allowed to function in Maharashtra," he said. (ANI)