Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday announced that the joint protest march planned with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) for July 5 has been cancelled after the state government withdrew two government resolutions on the three-language policy in schools. "The government’s harsh Hindi directive has been cancelled! This is a victory for Marathi unity. The fear of Thackeray factions coming together. Now, the joint march planned on July 5 will not take place; But something else is quietly in the works. Thackeray is still the brand!" Sanjay Raut wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
The Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS had earlier declared a joint protest against the state’s decision to make Hindi a compulsory third language in Maharashtra schools, alongside Marathi and English, as part of the National Education Policy (NEP). Following intense criticism from opposition leaders, educationists and cultural organisations, the state government announced that a new committee headed by Dr Narendra Jadhav will now review the policy.
"Today in the Cabinet meeting, we discussed the three-language policy. We have decided that a committee will be formed under the leadership of Dr. Narendra Jadhav to determine from which standard the languages should be implemented, how the implementation should take place, and what choices should be given to students... Based on the report submitted by this committee, the state government will make a final decision on the implementation of the three-language policy. Until then, both the Government Resolutions (GRs) issued on 16th April 2025 and 17th June 2025 have been cancelled," CM said during the press conference held ahead of the monsoon session of the state legislature. The chief minister was joined by his deputies Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar.
Earlier in the day, Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders held a protest against the Maharashtra government’s decision. The leaders burned a copy of the government resolution at Azad Maidan in Mumbai. Addressing the media, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief and former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said, “We have burnt the copies of the GR which means we don't accept it. We don't oppose Hindi but we will not allow its imposition. The government does not understand the reason behind the morcha. Injustice has been meted to Marathi. The question is how much pressure are you going to put on students."