New Delhi: After receiving massive flak for its decision to make Hindi mandatory as the third language in classes 1-5 in Marathi and English medium schools, the Maharashtra government on Tuesday (April 22) rolled back the move.

“The word mandatory will be removed…The three-language formula remains, but schools must accommodate other language choices if a significant number of students in a class request it,” said Maharashtra School Education Minister Dadaji Bhuse, after a meeting of the state cabinet, reported Indian Express.

On April 17, the BJP-led Maharashtra government had said that as part of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Hindi will be made a compulsory third language from classes 1 to 5. The decision will result in Hindi being taught alongside Marathi and English, according to the NEP.

Ever since the announcement, the decision had faced criticism from several political parties.

Apart from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena led by Raj Thackeray, which had been the most vocal in its opposition to the decision, the Shiv Sena (UBT) led by Uddhav Thackeray had accused the BJP of trying to divide people on linguistic lines. The Congress had termed the move “an attack on the Marathi language” and an attempt to erode state autonomy.

Laxmikant Deshmukh, the chairperson of the Maharashtra government-appointed Language Consultation Committee chairperson had also opposed the move.

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