Overview

• Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray will jointly lead a protest march on July 5 in Mumbai against Hindi’s designation as the default third language in primary schools.
• Maharashtra’s education ministry clarifies that Hindi instruction under NEP 2020 will be optional, providing only oral exposure for grades 1–2.
• Formal Hindi lessons are scheduled to start in grade 3, with students allowed to choose alternative Indian languages if at least 20 per class opt out of Hindi.
• State authorities have launched stakeholder consultations with cultural figures and political parties ahead of finalizing the three‐language policy.
• Opposition parties including the NCP warn the policy threatens Marathi identity and are rallying support before upcoming municipal elections.