The Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Uddhav Thackeray’s Sena (UBT) have announced protest marches on July 5 and 7, respectively, against the state government’s three-language policy in schools, which the Opposition terms as an “imposition of Hindi”.
Though the protests are being organised independently, both parties have taken a similar stance on the issue, saying Hindi should not be forced upon Marathi-speaking students in the name of the three-language formula being promoted under the National Education Policy.
While Raj Thackeray has announced a Virat Morcha (Grand Protest March) from Girgaon Chowpatty in South Mumbai on July 5, Uddhav Thackeray has extended support to the protest planned at Azad Maidan the next day, organised by academic and activist Deepak Pawar.
Announcing the July 6 march after meeting with School Education minister Dada Bhuse, Raj said that he has expressed his disapproval to the government’s stand.
Announcing the March he said that the protest would be non-political, without any party flags, and open to participation from all sections of society.
He called upon teachers, students, writers, artists, and Marathi-speaking citizens to join in large numbers. “This is a protest for Marathi identity, not against any language. We welcome everyone who believes Marathi should not be sidelined in its own state,” he said.
Raj Thackeray also said MNS workers would reach out to members of his cousin Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena, suggesting possible informal coordination.
According to the sources in Sena UBT, backchannel talks are on between the MNS and Sena UBT to jointly hold the protest on the same day instead of the separate protests.
If this happens, this would be the first time in the past nearly two decades that the Thackeray cousins would be seen together in the protest.
On July 7, a sit-in protest will be held at Azad Maidan, with a tribute planned at Hutatma Smarak. Deepak Pawar, who has called the protest, said it will focus on resisting the Centre’s attempts to “standardise language” across states and undermine linguistic federalism.
Uddhav strongly backed the protest, warning the government that the agitation would continue unless the policy was withdrawn. “No means no. We don’t want presentations or explanations on the issue — just a clear reversal of this decision,” he said.
He accused the BJP of creating a “linguistic Emergency”, and trying to weaken the cultural and linguistic foundation of states like Maharashtra.
The Sena (UBT) chief said the state will not accept any forced linguistic policy, adding the government could easily announce within five minutes that “Hindi will not be imposed in Maharashtra,” but instead, it is pursuing a divisive policy aimed at creating a rift between Marathi and non-Marathi communities.
“This is not about opposing Hindi. If we were against Hindi, Mumbai — Maharashtra — wouldn’t have nurtured the Hindi film industry. But we are against forcing Hindi,” Uddhav said. He described the current trend of language imposition as part of a broader attempt to push a centralised, authoritarian agenda — “One nation, one language, one leader”.
He warned that this was a move towards linguistic authoritarianism, and reiterated his party’s firm opposition to any such steps. He even urged BJP workers and leaders who truly care about Marathi to join the protest, and reject the imposition of Hindi.
Raj also hit out at the language policy, saying, “This is a linguistic Emergency. And it’s time to explain Balasaheb Thackeray’s ideology in Marathi to those traitors who now misuse his name.”
The state government issued a government resolution (GR) introducing a third language from Class 1 to 5 on April 16, and stated that Hindi will be mandatory as the third language in Marathi and English medium schools of the Maharashtra State Board.
Following major backlash, School Education Minister Dada Bhuse declared on April 22 that Hindi would not be mandatory.
A revised Government Resolution (GR) was issued stating that Hindi will be taught as the third language in Marathi and English medium schools across the state for Classes 1 to 5. The revised order, released earlier this month, includes a provision allowing students to opt for another Indian language in place of Hindi provided at least 20 students from the same class in a school make such a request.
Raj Thackeray also said MNS workers would reach out to members of his cousin Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena, suggesting possible informal coordination. (Express Photos by Akash Patil and Sankhadeep Banerjee) 
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