MUMBAI, July 1 — Under growing pressure from the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), the BJP-led Mahayuti government was forced to withdraw its controversial orders mandating Hindi as the third language in state schools — a move that had sparked widespread backlash over perceived attempts to dilute Marathi identity.
The retraction, announced Sunday, came after weeks of mounting protests and a high-pitched campaign led by Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray, who accused the state government of using education policy to marginalize the Marathi-speaking population. The Shiv Sena (UBT) branded the April 16 order — which made Hindi compulsory after Marathi and English — as an act of cultural imposition, and mobilized public anger into a potent political threat.
“This was a deliberate move to divide Marathi and Hindi-speaking communities for political gains,” said Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant. “But the government saw the tide turning.”
Despite issuing a diluted version of the order on June 17, making Hindi optional, the backlash did not subside. The real pressure point came with the planned July 5 rally at Azad Maidan, where Uddhav and Raj Thackeray are expected to share the stage and call for unity around the “Marathi manoos” identity. The state intelligence reportedly warned the government of mass mobilisation reminiscent of the 1960 Samyukta Maharashtra Movement.
Amid the swelling support for the protest, Uddhav on Sunday led a symbolic demonstration at Azad Maidan, where copies of the language orders were publicly burned.
“The government feared that the July 5 rally would cement Uddhav’s resurgence,” said a senior Mahayuti source. “It left them with no option but to roll back.”
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, while announcing the withdrawal, also accused Uddhav of endorsing the Mashelkar committee report on language policy during his tenure — a claim the Shiv Sena (UBT) dismissed, stating no official orders were ever issued and the report was merely referred to another panel.
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar of the NCP reportedly pushed for the rollback during Sunday’s cabinet meeting, sensing the political cost of continuing with the language directive.
The controversy also intersects with upcoming elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), where the BJP hopes to unseat Uddhav’s party from its long-held dominance. With Mumbai home to 4.5 million Hindi-speaking residents, the original April 16 order was widely seen as a move to woo this demographic — but instead, it alienated the Marathi base across the state.
With Mahayuti blinking first, Uddhav is set to claim victory at the upcoming July 5 rally. His call to supporters is resonant and direct: “No jhanda, Marathi pride sole agenda.”
What began as a language policy dispute has now reenergised the Marathi identity movement — and put the Shiv Sena (UBT) back at the political centerstage in Maharashtra.
