Marathi Pride vs Hindi Push: BJP's Gamble in Maharashtra

By raising the three-language issue, the BJP may have willingly walked into a burning building without a water hose.

The BJP's flip-flop on Hindi seems to have brought together the estranged Thackeray cousins, and it's no mean feat.

(Photo: Kamran Akhter/The Quint)

Amid the debates over the rise of Hindutva ideology in Maharashtrian politics, the issue of language imposition that recently erupted has sent the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) into choppy waters in the predominantly Marathi-speaking state.

Trouble began after the Maharashtra government issued government resolutions (GRs) on 16-17 April regarding the contentious three-language policy, inducting Hindi as the third language in primary schools. Amid a massive hue-and-cry and allegations of Hindi imposition, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis quickly revoked the two contentious GRs ahead of the start of the monsoon session of the Maharashtra Assembly.

The BJP had been on cloud nine in Maharashtra since it made mincemeat of its rivals in the Assembly polls some six months ago. But the recent U-turn can be seen as a weathervane indicating a change in winds in Maharashtra, where the BJP is currently in power in alliance with Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde faction.

Linguistic Unity at Heart of Maharashtra's Origin Story

Anyone aware of Maharashtra's history would not be surprised by the backlash the BJP faced for attempting to impose Hindi in primary schools. Marathi pride remains at the heart of the origin story of the state of Maharashtra. In 1960, at least 105 people were martyred amid the Samyukta Maharashtra Movement which advocated for a unilingual Marathi-speaking state, resulting in the carving out of Maharashtra from the erstwhile Bombay State.

By raising the three language issue, the BJP seems to have willingly walked into a burning building without a water hose.

The Devendra Fadnavis dispensation has handed the issue on a platter, reviving a listless opposition that has been quick to jump on the bait. Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) founder president Raj Thackeray announced a joint "victory celebration" on 5 July, to mark the BJP's step back as a win for Marathi and Maratha pride.

Both leaders seem well aware of the fact that in Maharashtra, language is not just a political issue, but a major emotional touchpoint with voters.

Ahead of tomorrow’s rally, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut posted on X, in Marathi, “The Thackerays are coming.” The victory march is meant to symbolise the coming together of estranged cousins—former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and the flamboyant MNS chief Raj Thackeray—for the cause of Marathi.

This is by no mean an achievement ahead of a possible rapprochement.  Looking at it from the national perspective, it shows that after Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra is resisting the surreptitious and not-so-surreptitious ways in which the BJP leadership has been bringing Hindi into the curriculum from Class 1 onwards.

In fact, Uddhav and Raj had earlier jointly planned a morcha on 5 July in Mumbai against the BJP-led dispensation’s new GRs. It has now been turned into a victory rally after the Maharashtra government rescinded the controversial order.

Sharad Pawar also expressed himself strongly against the move, insisting that any new language, if it has to be introduced, must be done after Class 5. Burdening young students with additional languages at the primary level is not appropriate, he said.

MNS-BJP Ties Souring amid Resurgence of Marathi Manoos

Uddhav’s party is adding fuel to the fire by claiming that when he was the CM from 2019 to 2022, he had taken the decision to make Marathi a compulsory subject in all schools of Maharashtra.

The problem for the BJP and its allies is that the issue has come at the worst possible time for it. The civic polls, dubbed as mini-Assembly polls, are expected by October.

Interestingly, the BJP is seeking to target only Uddhav in the matter and is deliberately leaving out Raj with the hope and expectation of bringing him back to its side ahead of the polls. 

The alleged negligence of the Marathi manoos (Marathi people) had resulted in the formation of the Shiv Sena some six decades back by the late Bal Thackeray. The opposition, including the Maha Vikas Aghadi, comprising Uddhav’s Sena, Sharad Pawar’s NCP, and Congress, was stunned by the Assembly poll results six months back that made the BJP the prima donna in the key state. They had almost become inoperational due to the scope and the impact of the BJP-led Mahayuti’s shock victory.

The language issue, however, has the potential to fire up the Marathi manoos identity that had potently lit the fuse for the birth of the separate state of Maharashtra on 1 May, 1960. 

If the Marathi issue gains ground, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena is going to be the worst affected, as it does not have any original viewpoint in the matter, despite claiming to be the real inheritor of the legacy of Bal Thackeray. The Maharashtra Education Minister Dada Bhuse belongs to the Sena, which is an added problem.

The issue has come as a bolt from the blue for Shinde as also the BJP, which was planning to have their sway in the civic polls. Ajit Pawar’s NCP, which is also part of the ruling Mahayuti, is not known to have any view on the issue.

Why BJP is Bent on Promoting Hindi

It needs to be understood that the introduction of Hindi from Class 1 in primary, Marathi and English medium schools in the state has not been an off-the-cuff decision. 

The BJP, which has a bigger footprint in the North, wants to promote Hindi in a big way in other parts of the country, though without making the usual noise.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah's controversial claim - that the day when English-speaking people in the country would feel ashamed is not far - is a case in point. Hindi, Hindu, and Hindutva remains a pet theme of the Sangh Parivar.

The Fadnavis government's decision to constitute a committee headed by former member of the planning commission, Narendra Jadhav, to further look into the language issue suggests that the party, though stymied, has not given up the matter. The U-turn could just be a temporary halt.

Meanwhile, the BJP is playing a shrewd game to project itself as the one protecting the interests of all non-Marathi-speaking people in the state. It has received increasing support from voters in northern Maharashtra, especially in urban areas, and their numbers are growing everywhere.

The extent of migration due to better industrialisation and development could be gauged from the fact that in parts of Pune, considered the cultural capital of Maharashtra, the language of communication is Hindi.

Barring occasional incidents, Maharashtra is known as a liberal state, which has not played parochial politics, but the imposition of Hindi is being projected as the last straw on the camel’s back. 

Why has Hindi not been made such a third language in neighbouring Gujarat, the home turf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah? It's a question many in Maharashtra seem to be asking now.

The move has come four months after Tamil Nadu pushed back strongly against the efforts of the Union government to implement the three-language formula as part of the National Education Policy (NEP). The state contended the move was an attempt to introduce Hindi and Sanskrit through the backdoor.

Right or wrong, the move to oppose the imposition of Hindi in such a manner will likely lead to the Opposition playing the Marathi card, giving a boost to the 'son of the soil' theory in a state amid growing turmoil among locals, especially youth, over unemployment and price rise.

The victory rally will show which way the winds are blowing. One thing certain is that there is a churn in the politics of Maharashtra.

(Sunil Gatade is a former Associate Editor of the Press Trust of India. Venkatesh Kesari is an independent journalist. This is an opinion article and the views expressed are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for them.)