Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 30 : NCP-SCP MLA Rohit Pawar slammed the Maharashtra government on Monday over the three-language policy and said that when Marathi journalists and social organisations united, the government had to withdraw the resolution.
Speaking to reporters outside the Maharashtra Assembly, Pawar said, "Many political parties opposed the GR released by the Maharashtra government regarding the three-language policy. Marathi journalists and social organisations were also against it. When all of them got united on this matter, it overpowered the government, and finally, the state government decided to withdraw the GR on the three-language policy."
He added that the opposition is not against the Hindi language, but rather against the compulsion to teach Hindi in primary schools.
"We are not against the Hindi language. However, we are against the compulsory teaching of Hindi in primary education," Rohit Pawar said.
Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders held a protest against the three-language policy outside the Assembly on Monday. The Maharashtra Government cancelled two orders on the implementation of the three-language policy on Sunday, following heavy criticism from the opposition, who accused it of "imposing Hindi" on the state's people.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, informing about the cancellation of the resolutions that were passed on April 16 and June 17, announced that a committee will be formed to discuss the implementation of the three-language formula in the state.
"A committee under Dr Narendra Jadhav will be formed to discuss the implementation of the three-language formula in the state... Until the committee submits its report, both government resolutions (of April 16 and June 17) have been cancelled by the government," Devendra Fadnavis said.
On April 16, the Maharashtra government passed a resolution that mandated Hindi as the compulsory third language in Marathi and English-medium schools.
However, in response to the backlash, the government revised the policy on June 17 through an amended resolution, stating, "Hindi will be the third language. For those who want to learn another language, at least 20 willing students are required."