The decision to make Hindi mandatory as a third language in schools in Maharashtra has become a headache for the Fadnavis government. The Mahayuti government, which won with a huge majority, has finally been forced to withdraw its decision amid opposition from the opposition and questions of Marathi identity. The decision to teach Hindi as a mandatory third language in Marathi and English medium schools from standard 1 to 5 has been canceled. In order to win and maintain the trust of Marathi voters, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced in a press conference on 29 June 2025 that the government orders of 16 April and 17 June regarding mandatory Hindi are being canceled. Along with this, a new committee has been formed under the leadership of educationist Narendra Jadhav, which will consider the three-language policy. This committee will talk to Marathi scholars, teachers and other parties. It will also decide how to implement the three-language policy. Fadnavis clarified that Marathi will be the first priority of the state, and any decision will be made keeping in mind the interests of the Marathi language and students. For this reason, the Fadnavis government bowed down. Threat to Marathi identity, public anger: Marathi language and culture live in the hearts of the people of Maharashtra. In April 2025, when the government decided to make Hindi a mandatory third language from class 1 to 5, it was considered an attempt to ‘impose Hindi’ on Marathi. The opposition declared it a language emergency. After this, teachers, parents and Marathi organizations protested strongly across the state. #SaveMarathi started trending on social media. Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) and MNS organized protest rallies in Mumbai on July 6 and 7. If the government had not bowed down, it would have turned into a major movement like the Maratha reservation, which would have exposed the BJP to the wrath of Marathi voters and increased the risk of tarnishing its image.
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