States » WestPosted at: Jun 26 2025 9:42PM


Maha: Thackeray condemns BJP's 'Linguistic Dictatorship' over Hindi mandate

Mumbai, June 26 (UNI) Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray today launched a blistering attack on Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, decrying his ultimatum on Hindi implementation as an unconstitutional "linguistic emergency".
The confrontation escalated after Fadnavis declared Hindi would become compulsory "within five minutes" if schools resisted the three-language formula, adding that "presentations are being made" to justify the policy.
Thackeray clarified his opposition to target imposition, not the language itself, noting Mumbai's legacy as Bollywood's birthplace that nurtured icons like Amitabh Bachchan.
"This is BJP's dictatorship camouflaged as policy – a conspiracy to subjugate Marathi identity through linguistic coercion," the former CM asserted during a press briefing.
Announcing sustained protests until the mandate is withdrawn, Thackeray invoked India's linguistic diversity:
"Our nation was built on language foundations, yet BJP undermines this heritage."
The Sena-UBT chief revealed his administration had initiated the Marathi Bhasha Bhavan to promote the state language, a project scrapped post-tenure.
Thackeray directly challenged Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, who served in his cabinet, to account for this reversal.
"The government cannot force-feed Hindi to children when proficiency isn't a developmental barrier," Thackeray contended, warning of BJP's "authoritarian agenda" against Marathi speakers.
He issued a rallying cry to Maharashtra's artistes, writers, athletes, and lawyers: "Come what may, Hindi will not be forced on us."
The Sena patriarch further questioned the selective application of the trilingual formula: "Why restrict it to three languages? Why not embrace all 20-25 major Indian languages comprehensively?"
The remarks intensify Maharashtra's escalating language debate amid the state's revised education policy making Hindi the default third language.
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