Only Marathi Compulsory in Maharashtra, Says CM Fadnavis; Hindi Language Row Referred to Committee

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has made a clear statement on the ongoing language debate in the state's education system. At the inauguration of the 99th Akhil Bhartiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan in Satara, he emphasized that only Marathi is compulsory in Maharashtra schools, with students free to choose any Indian language as their third language option.

The clarification comes in the wake of last year's controversy when the BJP-led government attempted to introduce Hindi as a compulsory third language from first standard, triggering widespread protests. The government subsequently withdrew this proposal and established a committee headed by Narendra Jadhav to examine the three-language formula.

Fadnavis also remarked on what he termed a double standard - while the state welcomes international languages like English, French, and Spanish, it resists Indian languages. He called for extending the same respect to Indian languages as given to foreign ones. The CM further noted Marathi's recent recognition as a classical language and emphasized the need for achieving broader lok manyata (popular acceptance) for the language across India.