No Hindi-Marathi debate, says Fadnavis as he opens special centre in JNU

Amid the ongoing controversy in Maharashtra over a now-shelved proposal to introduce Hindi in primary education, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday inaugurated the Kusumagraj Special Centre for Marathi Language, Literature and Culture at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). He also laid the foundation stone of the Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Special Centre for Security and Strategic Studies, which will explore indigenous strategic traditions based on the Maratha empire and is envisioned to become a hub for military history, strategy and future policy development rooted in India’s past.

Language issue

Touching upon the emotive Marathi-Hindi issue in his address, Mr. Fadnavis said, “The debate is not Marathi versus Hindi. There is no alternative to Marathi. A Marathi person has to accept Marathi. But our policy is Marathi along with other Indian languages. We should learn Marathi and also know other languages.”

Asserting that language is a means of communication but never of discord and one’s mother tongue is important, the Chief Minister said “the insistence on Marathi is natural and justified, but we should also respect other Indian languages”.

JNU Vice Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit in her address thanked the Maharashtra government for its enthusiasm in setting up the centres. She said the university has sent proposals to the Maharashtra government, with the seed money for the two centres amounting to ₹45 crore.

“Under the National Education Policy, we will be providing certificate courses, and value-added courses in Marathi for non-Marathi students. The centre will also offer PhD programmes,” she told The Hindu, adding that the courses will be started soon.

Regarding the Maharashtra government’s request for a statue of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji on campus, Ms. Pandit said the university will respond to them in writing and once a concrete plan is established, it will go to JNU’s Executive Council for approval.

JNUSU protest

Meanwhile, the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) held a demonstration outside the Convention Centre where the inauguration took place. JNUSU president Nitish Kumar said they were not opposing the new centres but against the “saffronisation of JNU and other educational institutions” and the “regional chauvinism shown by the BJP-led Maharashtra government”.