Don't fight over language, respect all: Ashok Gehlot on Marathi-Hindi row

Mumbai, July 13 (IANS) Congress leader and former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday, during his visit to Mumbai, called for respecting every language and religion, stressing that fighting over linguistic differences is regressive and unnecessary.

Gehlot's comments come in the wake of the ongoing controversy in Maharashtra surrounding the imposition of Hindi in schools and a series of violent incidents involving the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), whose workers were seen assaulting non-Marathi-speaking individuals for not conversing in Marathi.

"Knowledge is power. There’s nothing wrong with learning any language -- you must learn languages. There should be no restrictions when it comes to language. Some people know up to five languages," Gehlot told reporters.

Recalling changing societal attitudes, Gehlot added, "We were also against English when we were younger, but now the times are different. In these new times, English has become important, so we are teaching our children English. Hence, it is wrong to fight over languages. People should respect every language and every religion."

The controversy erupted after the Maharashtra government issued, and later withdrew, two government resolutions that proposed making Hindi a compulsory third language in Marathi and English-medium schools from Classes 1 to 5.

The move sparked strong reactions from the Opposition, public backlash, and protests by regional outfits like the MNS.

Additionally, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Bal Thackeray faction) and Congress also slammed the government for "imposing" Hindi on the Marathi-speaking state.

Amid intense public backlash and Opposition protests, the Maharashtra government has scrapped two government resolutions (GRs) that sought to impose Hindi as a compulsory third language in Marathi and English-medium schools for Classes 1 to 5.

However, the ruling Mahayuti coalition insists the decision has only been suspended temporarily and will be revisited after an expert committee submits its report.

--IANS

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