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Hindi Language
The government has not issued any directives to make Hindi mandatory in official communications, central services or educational institutions, Lok Sabha was informed Tuesday. Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said this in response to a written question from DMK MP Kalanidhi Veeraswamy, seeking to know whether the government has issued any directives making Hindi mandatory. "No, sir," the minister responded. Replying to a separate question from DMK MP Matheswaran VS seeking to know the funds spent on the promotion of Hindi since 2014, the minister provided data that showed Rs 736.11 crore has been incurred from the budget allocated to the Department of Official Language between 2014-15 and 2024-25.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his deputy Eknath Shinde, questioning their silence over BJP MP Nishikant Dubey's remarks on the language issue in the state. Speaking to reporters here, Raut said Shiv Sena chief Shinde and his supporters should remove the photographs of the late Bal Thackeray from their offices if they continued to ally with Dubey. Amid an outrage over MNS workers thrashing a shopkeeper for not speaking Marathi, Dubey has courted controversy with his reported "patak patak ke marenge" (will thrash you) remarks targeting party chief Raj Thackeray and his cousin Uddhav Thackeray. "To those beating Hindi speakers in Mumbai, if you have the courage, try beating Urdu speakers in Maharashtra. Even a dog is a tiger in its own home. Decide for yourself who is the dog and who is the tiger," the Godda MP posted on X. Raut slammed Dubey for his remarks, alleging that he was a "middlema
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said BJP MP Nishikant Dubey's comments on the language issue in the state were inappropriate and risked causing confusion. Dubey's reported "patak patak ke marenge" remarks have caused a flutter. The Lok Sabha member from Jharkhand had put out a controversial post amid the ongoing language row in Maharashtra and attacks on non-Marathi speaking people. "To those beating Hindi speakers in Mumbai, if you have the courage, try beating Urdu speakers in Maharashtra. Even a dog is a tiger in its own home. Decide for yourself who is the dog and who is the tiger," the MP from Godda posted on X. Asked about the controversy, CM Fadnavis said, "If you listen to the complete statement of Nishikant Dubey, he particularly spoke about an organisation and not against Marathi people in general. However, in my opinion, it is inappropriate to make such comments. Its interpretation causes confusion among the minds of people." The biggest contribu
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Monday claimed the Maharashtra government withdrew the GRs on the three-language policy to ensure that the joint protest by political parties against "imposition of Hindi" does not take place. Talking to reporters at the Vidhan Bhavan, the former chief minister said heads of Marathi haters were smashed by displaying the unity of the "Marathi manoos", and the united front should be maintained before the "next crisis". He asserted that instead of a protest morcha, victory celebrations will be held on July 5. Following mounting opposition against the introduction of Hindi for Classes 1 to 5 in schools, the state government has withdrawn two government orders (GRs) on the implementation of the three-language policy. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced the formation of a committee headed by educationist Narendra Jadhav to suggest the way forward on the language policy. On Sunday, the Shiv Sena (UBT), along with the leaders of other polit
Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray on Monday claimed the Maharashtra government withdrew its decision on the teaching of Hindi as a third language in primary classes due to "pressure" from the opposition and the civil society. Thackeray, along with Leader of Opposition in the legislative council Ambadas Danve, Bhaskar Jadhav and other opposition legislators, staged a symbolic protest on the steps of Vidhan Bhavan here, holding placards reading "Mi Marathi" (I am Marathi). "Pressure triumphed over power," Thackeray told reporters in the Vidhan Bhavan premises where the monsoon session of the state legislature began earlier in the day. Facing mounting opposition to the introduction of Hindi language in Maharashtra schools from classes 1 to 5, the state cabinet on Sunday decided to withdraw two GRs (government orders) on the implementation of the three-language policy. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said the GRs have been withdrawn, and announced the formation of a ...
With the opposition against the "imposition" of Hindi gaining momentum in Maharashtra, a government-appointed advisory committee has urged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to roll back the decision to introduce the language in primary classes. The Language Advisory Committee, which makes recommendations to the government on matters related to the Marathi language, passed a resolution on Friday demanding that no third language, including Hindi, be taught before Class 5. The resolution was passed during a meeting held in Pune, attended by 20 out of 27 committee members. Kiran Kulkarni, secretary of the Marathi language department, was also present during the meeting. A language row has erupted in Maharashtra after the state government recently issued an amended order stating that Hindi will "generally" be taught as a third language to students from Classes 1 to 5 in Marathi and English medium schools. According to the order, if 20 students per grade in a school wish to study any othe
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said the "compulsion" for students in the state to learn Hindi has been removed in a new order, and now any Indian language can be chosen as the third language. While English is widely promoted, Indian languages are often neglected, Fadnavis told reporters in Dehu and maintained that disputes over languages are unnecessary. The state government on Tuesday issued an order saying Hindi will "generally" be taught as the third language to students in Marathi and English medium schools from classes 1 to 5. The amended government resolution (GR) said Hindi will "generally" be the third language, instead of being mandatory, and gave an option to opt out if 20 students per grade in a school express the desire to study any Indian language other than Hindi. Some pro-Marathi outfits accused the government of reintroducing the policy through the "backdoor" after initially backtracking, and the opposition Congress accused the government
Where does Kamal Haasan stand on the issue of imposition of Hindi in the south? I stand with Punjab. I stand with Karnataka. I stand with Andhra, is his quick reply. The pan-India superstar's latest film Thug Life, the 234th in a 65-year career, released in theatres this week amid controversy over his comment that Kannada was born out of Tamil. He refused to apologise and the film did not release in Karnataka. "I am the actor from 'Ek Duuje Ke Liye'..., Haasan told PTI during a recent visit to the news agency's headquarters, referring to his 1981 hit Hindi film about a Tamil boy and his romance with his Hindi speaking neighbour. Without imposition, we will learn. Don't impose, because this is ultimately education and we must take the shortest route to education and not put hurdles in its way," the actor said. The ruling DMK in his home state Tamil Nadu has long opposed the three-language policy introduced under the National Education Policy (NEP). The party has repeatedly accused t
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis dismissed concerns over the "imposition" of the Hindi language in the state on Sunday, asserting that Marathi will continue to be compulsory. The opposition parties, particularly Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS, have alleged that Hindi is being imposed in Maharashtra after the state government gave its nod to implement the three-language formula under the NEP. "It is wrong to say that attempts are being made to impose Hindi. Marathi will be compulsory in Maharashtra. There will be no other compulsion," Fadnavis told reporters after attending a programme organised at the Bhandarkar Research Institute in Pune. Responding to the row over the government's approval to make Hindi a compulsory third language in schools, Fadnavis said, "We need to understand that Hindi has not been made mandatory instead of Marathi. The Marathi language is a must". He said the New Education Policy states that two of the three languages to be taught to students must
Upping the ante against alleged Hindi imposition by the Centre, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday once again said the state will not allow the "imposition" of the language and vowed to protect Tamil and its culture. "Will oppose Hindi imposition. Hindi is the mask, Sanskrit is the hidden face," he said in a letter to partymen. The ruling DMK has been alleging Hindi imposition by the Centre through the 3-language formula as part of the National Education Policy (NEP), a charged denied by the union government. In the letter, Stalin claimed many north Indian languages spoken in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh such as Mythili, Brajbhasha, Bundelkhandi and Awadhi "have been destroyed by the hegemonic Hindi." "More than 25 north Indian native languages have been destroyed by the invasion of hegemonic Hindi-Sanskrit languages. The century-old Dravidian movement safeguarded Tamil and its culture because of the awareness it created and the various agitations," the rul