Maharashtra Language Row: Will Centre Endorse Fadnavis's Remark On Marathi, Asks Stalin

Chennai: After Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that only Marathi is mandatory in the state, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin asked the Union government whether it will "officially endorse" this statement under the National Education Policy (NEP) or issue directives to the states saying NEP does not require teaching third language.

Amid opposition to imposing Hindi as a third language in Maharashtra, Fadnavis has publicly announced that there is no compulsion to study Hindi and Marathi is mandatory in the state.

Taking to his X handle, Stalin wrote, "Facing a massive backlash for imposing Hindi as the third language, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis now claims that only Marathi is compulsory in the state. This is a clear manifestation of his trepidation over the widespread public condemnation against imposition of Hindi on non-Hindi speaking States".

The CM has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to clarify if the Union government will officially endorsed Fadnavis's position that no language other than Marathi is compulsory in Maharashtra as the third language under National Education Policy. "If so, will the Union government issue a clear directive to all states affirming that the NEP does not require the compulsory teaching of a third language?," he asked.

Stalin then asked "Will the Union government release the Rs 2,152 crore it unjustly withheld for Tamil Nadu on the premise that the state must subscribe to the teaching of a mandatory third language."

The Tamil Nadu government wants to continue with two-language formula of English and Tamil while the Centre has pushed for the three-language policy.

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