Hindi should be declared as national language, says Maharashtra SP chief Abu Azmi

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 24 (ANI): Maharashtra Samajwadi Party President Abu Azmi on Tuesday supported the state government's decision to make Hindi the default third language in schools.
He said Marathi should be the first language, English the second, and Hindi the third. Azmi also said Hindi should be declared the national language.
Speaking to the reporters, Abu Azmi said, "Marathi is the first language; people run behind English as they are 'slaves', so it is the second language... I reiterate again and again that the third one should be Hindi. There is a committee in the Parliament that goes across the country to promote Hindi, and all the works of the central government also take place in Hindi. Some people want to play politics... Hindi should 100% be declared as the national language, which should be spoken from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. Should I learn Assamese if I go to Assam?..."
Earlier on Monday, Maharashtra Chief Minister 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.
A meeting on the issue of the three-language formula was held at the Chief Minister's official residence, Varsha, on Sunday night. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, School Education Minister Dada Bhuse, Minister of State Dr Pankaj Bhoyar, and officials from the education department were present.
After an in-depth discussion on the subject, it was decided to present the status of all states, ensure that Marathi students are not disadvantaged under the Academic Bank of Credit in the context of the new education policy, and explore other possible options. A comprehensive presentation will be made for all stakeholders. It was resolved in the meeting that this presentation and consultation process should be conducted with Marathi language scholars, litterateurs, political leaders, and all relevant parties.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis further stated that a final decision will be made only after this consultation process is completed. Hence, School Education Minister Dada Bhuse will now initiate the next phase of the consultation process.
The Maharashtra government has been criticised twice regarding its language policy. Initially, a government resolution issued on April 16 mandated Hindi as the compulsory third language in Marathi and English-medium schools.
In response to the backlash, the government revised the policy 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." (ANI)