Marathi Triumph: A Victory against Language Imposition in Maharashtra

Preparations are in full swing for the joint rally by Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in Worli, as the Maharashtra government revokes two Government Resolutions mandating Hindi as the third language. Sandeep Sudhakar Deshpande of MNS hails this as a historic victory for Marathi speakers.

Amid substantial backlash, the government retracted its April 16 orders, which enforced a three-language policy making Hindi mandatory for students in Classes 1 to 5 across English and Marathi medium schools. Following this, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced the formation of a committee to deliberate on the state's language policy.

While celebrating Marathi pride, CM Fadnavis cautioned against any 'hooliganism' based on language differences, reiterating that violence and intimidation have no place in this cultural issue. Police action has been taken against those involved in a recent incident where a shop owner was attacked for not speaking Marathi.

(With inputs from agencies.)