What's wrong with learning any Indian language?': Amid Hindi row, Devendra Fadnavis defends NEP's 3-language formula

Devendra Fadnavis Hindi language statement, Maharashtra three-language formula, NEP language policy Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis said that as per the NEP, learning the mother tongue was mandatory, besides two other languages, including one Indian language. A day after the Maharashtra government issued an amended order saying that Hindi will “generally” be the third language, instead of being mandatory, for Class 1 to 5 students in Marathiand English-medium schools in the state, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday defended the three-language formula, saying it was as per the National Education Policy (NEP).

- GNS News Agency, July 12

“Earlier, we had made it mandatory to learn Hindi. Now we have removed the word mandatory. Now we have said that students can learn any other third Indian language. The three-language formula is as per the NEP,” Fadnavis told reporters in Dehu. Fadnavis was in the temple town to witness the Sant Tukaram Maharaj palkhi (palanquin) begin its journey to Pandharpur as part of the annual Pandharpur Wari festival. Fadnavis said that as per the NEP, learning the mother tongue was mandatory, besides two other languages, including one Indian language. “English is acceptable to all. The third will be any other Indian language. Earlier, we had said that the third language should be Hindi. Now we have removed the ‘mandatory’ clause. Students can learn any other third language, but there should be 20 students in a class. We w