Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 18 : Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has issued a stern warning to the educational institutions in the state not to support the Fadnavis government's plan to impose the language that is "spoken in some northern provinces."
Thackeray asserted that if schools' actions support the government's "hidden agenda," then MNS will consider it a "betrayal" of Maharashtra.
In a letter written to all the principals of schools in Maharashtra, Raj Thackeray said, "While we are raising this issue with you, we have also sent a similar letter to the government. We have firmly told the government that we need a written letter stating that the Hindi language or any third language in general will not be taught. They may or may not issue such a letter, but if your actions support the government's hidden agenda, we will surely consider it a betrayal of Maharashtra..."
"Do keep in mind that there is growing discontent in Maharashtra regarding this imposition of languages! Word to the wise! What more can I say?" it added.
Referring to recent developments in the education department, Thackeray alleged that since April, the situation in Maharashtra has been "chaotic".
The letter dated June 12 reads, "Since April, the education department has been in a state of chaos in Maharashtra. First, it was decided that three languages should be taught from class one in schools following the Maharashtra State Board of Education curriculum, and Marathi, English and Hindi should be made compulsory. This decision was strongly opposed by the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, which formed a public opinion..."
"There is no question of making Hindi compulsory. Because Hindi is not the national language. It is a language spoken in some northern provinces, so in a sense it is a state language. In the states where it is spoken, there are many local languages, which are starting to come under the sway of Hindi and there is a fear that the local dialects there will disappear over time. Anyway, it is their decision whether they wish to let their local dialects die or not. It is of no concern to us," the letter reads.
The MNS chief accused the Maharashtra government of planning to impose Hindi language in the state "discreetly" and urged the schools not to cooperate with this.
He said, "But when such a compulsion was forced upon Maharashtra, we raised our voice and will continue to raise it. The government further said that only two languages will be taught from class one. But where is the written order? If one has been published, we haven't seen it yet. A government good at playing around with documents will play with this one as well. Then our question is, if the children do not want to learn a third language, then why are textbooks getting printed, as noticed by my Maharashtra Sainiks. This means that the government is planning to impose the language discreetly. Your schools should not cooperate with this."
Raj Thackeray went on to say that the people of the north want to "capture" Maharashtra and language imposition is an easy way to do that.
The letter reads, "The government's effort to impose the language on children must be thwarted. This is not only damaging to the children but damaging to the Marathi language as well. The government just blindly follows orders from above, but you need not fall prey to it. And if you are forced by the government, we are here to support."
"To become well educated, model citizens who can make the nation and Maharashtra proud, you need to know one state language and one world language. Why learn more of them? But we must understand the political motive behind this! The people of the north want to capture a civilized Maharashtra and the easy way to do that is to impose their language directly or indirectly. Do not fall prey to their politics," it added.
In April, a row was erupted over the Maharashtra government's decision to make Hindi a compulsory third language.