Uddhav Thackeray said the Shiv Sena (UBT) will not allow the move to make Hindi compulsory in Maharashtra. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

The Shiv Sena (UBT) will not allow the move to make Hindi compulsory in Maharashtra, said the party’s chief, Uddhav Thackeray, on Saturday (April 19, 2025).

His comment comes in the wake of the State government’s decision to make Hindi a mandatory third language for students of Classes 1 to 5, in line with the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020, recommendations.

Addressing an event of the Bharatiya Kamgar Sena, the workers’ wing of the Shiv Sena (UBT), Mr. Thackeray said his party had no aversion to Hindi but asked why was it being forced on students.

There has been an Opposition outcry in Maharashtra against the decision to make Hindi a mandatory third language for students of Classes 1 to 5 in Marathi and English-medium schools, in a departure from the practice of studying two languages.

Other States ruled by Opposition parties too have opposed the move, alleging Hindi imposition.