Maharashtra scraps three-language policy amid political uproar, review panel to be formed
Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday announced that both government resolutions (GRs) related to the three-language formula, issued on April 16 and June 17, have been scrapped. The move comes amid growing political uproar and a massive protest march led by Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray earlier this month.
Fadnavis said a new committee under the chairmanship of educationist and former Rajya Sabha MP Dr. Narendra Jadhav will be constituted to review the implementation of the three-language formula in the state. “Other members will also be part of the committee. Until the panel submits its recommendations, the cancelled GRs will remain void,” he said.
The Maharashtra government had issued instructions on April 16 and June 17, 2025, to implement the three-language formula under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. As per this decision, Hindi was to be introduced in the state from Class 1, alongside the mother tongue and English.
However, the move triggered widespread backlash across the state, especially from Marathi-speaking groups, political parties, and activists. Critics described the compulsory teaching of Hindi as a “linguistic invasion,” warning that it threatened the Marathi language and culture. Opposition parties alleged that the state government was pushing the Centre’s language agenda without considering regional sensitivities. Educationists also demanded a re-evaluation of the policy.
The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) faction and Raj Thackeray’s MNS joined forces to oppose the move and announced a protest march on July 5. The Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena (UBT) staged demonstrations, with the latter symbolically burning a Hindi textbook as a mark of protest.
Political observers say the state government’s decision to roll back the policy appears to be a strategic retreat ahead of the upcoming civic and assembly elections, aimed at defusing public anger over what many saw as an attack on Marathi identity.