Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar slams opposition to Hindi in schools, says Marathi will still remain top priority

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar at Budget session of the state Assembly, in Mumbai. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has criticised political parties for opposing the move to make Hindi a mandatory third language for students in classes 1 to 5 in Marathi and English-medium schools across the State.

He said those opposing the decision are raking up “unnecessary disputes for lack of real issues”.

“Marathi is our mother tongue and will always have first preference in the state,” said Mr. Pawar on the sidelines of the inauguration of a National Memorial dedicated to the Chapekar Brothers in Pimpri Chinchwad on Thursday (April 17, 2025).

On Wednesday (April 16), The State School Education Department, had issued a Government Resolution mentioning the phase-wise implementation of the new curriculum based on National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 recommendations. 

The Maharashtra Government has decided that Hindi as a third language would be mandatory for students in classes 1 to 5 in Marathi and English-medium schools across the State, in a departure from the practice of studying two languages. Hitting out at critics, Mr. Pawar said, “Some people are creating disputes over the Hindi language only because they have nothing else to do. English is widely used across the country, and similarly, Hindi is spoken in many states. While there is a dispute over whether Hindi is the ‘Rashtra Bhasha’, I don’t want to get into that.”

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray has slammed the move, adding his party will not allow the Centre’s efforts to “Hindi-fy” everything to succeed in the State. The Congress has said the decision amounts to the imposition of Hindi.

Mr. Pawar asserted that all three languages — Marathi, Hindi and English — are important, but Marathi will always hold primacy in the State. “Marathi must remain intact and continue to grow,” he said.

Highlighting the Centre’s role in promoting the language, Mr. Pawar said, “It was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who granted Marathi the status of a classical language, a decision that had been pending in Delhi for years. The NDA Government showed the courage to make it happen.” He added that plans are underway to set up a Marathi Bhasha Bhavan in Mumbai to further promote the language.

The three-language formula for classes 1 to 5 is a part of the new curriculum implementation under the NEP 2020.

The State school education department has declared a phase-wise implementation plan of the new curriculum framework designed as per the NEP 2020 recommendations for school education.