PUNE: Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar Saturday said he is not in favour of making Hindi compulsory from Class I, amid calls for a protest march by the estranged Thackeray cousins against the state govt’s April 16 decision to introduce Hindi as the possible third language in govt schools from Class I.“I made my stand on Hindi clear in Mumbai a few days ago. There is no opposition to Marathi being the compulsory language from Standard I, as it is the mother tongue of Maharashtra. Now, the trend of learning English has picked up. After Standard V, parents should be allowed to decide on the third language. Generally, in Maharashtra, along with Marathi and English, students choose Hindi as the third language,” he said.Amid growing protests, CM Devendra Fadnavis announced that Hindi would not be made compulsory. In a revised order, state govt said Hindi would generally be the third language, but in cases where a different language is preferred, a minimum of 20 students would need to opt for it.The Thackeray cousins have called on all political parties and Marathi celebrities to join their protest rally in Mumbai on July 5. Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS party workers have launched a campaign to mobilise a large crowd for the rally. In addition to social media posts, posters are being put up across the city. One such MNS poster features a photo of Ajit, implying that he supports their stance.Speaking to reporters in his hometown of Baramati, Ajit said, “We will be discussing this issue in the cabinet meeting next week, just before the assembly session.”
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