Maharashtra's Hindi Debate: Language, Identity, and the Tri-Language Dilemma

National News: The Maharashtra government withdrew the order mandating a third language in state schools. The move came amid ongoing protests by political organizations and opposition parties. The opposition even announced a march on July 5 to demonstrate their continued opposition. It is believed that the directive was cancelled to end the growing dissent in the state. The order was issued to enforce the Tri-language policy, under the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020.  The announcement also stated that a committee would be formed to review the issue and provide recommendations.
The debate surrounding the Tri-Language policy is not new. Southern states have openly shown dissent about the teaching of Hindi in state schools.

Here are 5 possible reasons for opposing the policy.

Tamil Nadu's long standing Opposition

Tamil Nadu has a long history of opposing the Hindi language. Political and social organisations believe that imposing Hindi would undermine the importance of the regional language in the state.

Linguistic Richness of Smaller Northeastern States

In the North Eastern states, people strongly feel that their linguistic preferences should not be tampered with by a central policy.  There is also the belief that imposing a single language policy on all states disregards the cultural and linguistic diversity of India. 

Concerns about the Additional Burden on Students

Another important issue is that the imposition of a third language will add an extra burden on the students, which can negatively impact their academic performance. This can be especially problematic in rural areas where the schools are already facing a lack of teachers, resources, and infrastructure. 

No Negative Impact on Employment or Professional Needs 

Different states have different economic and professional priorities, with many states giving preference to regional languages and English, as these are more practical for their local employment needs. In such states, learning Hindi is not seen as useful for daily life or for career prospects. 

Threat to Regional Pride and Identity

Language is closely tied to a sense of regional identity and pride. People see the imposition of Hindi as an attack on their regional self-esteem. Hence, the policy faces severe opposition as people do not want their local language and regional identity to be undermined.