Uddhav Thackeray says ‘not against Hindi, only its imposition’ as Sena (UBT) burns 3-language GR | India News
NEW DELHI: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday clarified that his party is not opposed to the Hindi language, but stands firmly against its “imposition”, especially in schools across Maharashtra.Thackeray made the remarks while speaking to reporters after participating in a protest event in south Mumbai, where copies of the June 17 government resolution (GR) on the three-language policy were burnt. Similar protests were held by Shiv Sena (UBT) units across the state.“We have burnt the copies of the GR, which means we don’t accept it,” said Thackeray. “We don’t oppose Hindi, but we will not allow its imposition. The government does not understand the reason behind the morcha. Injustice has been meted to Marathi. The question is, how much pressure are you going to put on students?”The GR issued by the Maharashtra government on June 17 made Hindi the “general” third language for Classes 1 to 5 in English and Marathi medium schools, though not mandatory.Thackeray also announced that the July 5 protest march, to be held jointly with Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), will be a “grand” show of strength and unity on the issue.The Sena (UBT) has argued that the new language policy dilutes the primacy of Marathi, and places unfair academic pressure on young students. The state government has yet to formally respond to the protests.
