Following the battle of belonging in 2024, a new battle has erupted in Maharashtra. A state that, over the years, has seen the rise and fall of many political giants has experienced political turbulence, especially in the assembly over the last 7 years. This turbulence began from the time the results for the 2019 state assembly elections were announced and the current ruling dispensation, the Bhartiya Janta Party, lost their years-old ally, the Shiv Sena, to a dispute over the chief minister candidacy. It was at that time that the state witnessed something very unusual: the Shiv Sena faction led by Uddhav Thackeray, the son of the late political supremo Balasaheb Thackeray, formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after a lot of unprecedented drama.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led assembly got toppled mid-tenure as the party split into two factions with Eknath Shinde taking the lead from the other end and eventually forming an alliance with the Bhatiya Janta Party and assuming the oath for the office of Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Following the second manoeuvre, the state was again taken by surprise as Ajit Pawar decided to step away from his uncle, Sharad Pawar, who led the Nationalist Congress Party, set up and eventually joined hands with the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena alliance. By the end of the 14th assembly, the state, which initially had 4 major political parties, now had 6 parties to choose from, 3 chief ministerial candidates for the 15th assembly elections to look into, and struggling alliances trying to hold their fort as this assembly had even led to political maesteros making notes and question everything they learned over years of experience.
The 15th assembly elections saw the BJP-led incumbent government make a comeback after their poor performance in the general elections, which preceded the assembly elections. With Devendra Fadnavis taking the reins in hand as the chief minister of the state, he received support from his alliance leaders, who took up the role of deputy chief ministers. This new government actively took up problems and tried to provide solutions, but they found themselves in turmoil over their policies related to language and education. The state over the last few months has been witnessing a rise in the number of violent encounters led by certain individuals in society. This comes at a crucial time as the city of Mumbai, which also happens to be the epicentre of this battle, grapples and prepares itself for the elections of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Once a battleground for the Mughals and the Marathas, the state is now a battleground for political parties as elections for the legislative assembly approach. The state is home to lush green valleys in Mahabaleshwar and the bustling streets of Mumbai. A state that truly resonates with the Indian identity. Being home to a diverse population, Maharashtra is a front-runner state in every aspect.
As we decode the politics of Maharashtra through I.I.M.U.N. blogs, this seems to be a great script for a sequel. Coming back to the issue at hand. It is believed that language emerged in the Middle Stone Age in both verbal and written forms. Interestingly, something that is supposed to bring people closer and ease their lives seems to divide them further and add to the noise in their lives. Initially used by invaders, including the English language, today it is a political bramhastra in the world like Kurukshetra.
The issue is not as complex as it looks; it is a heated debate sparked by a government order in April 2025 mandating Hindi as a third language in state-run primary schools, alongside Marathi and English. This policy, part of the New Education Policy, faced backlash from Marathi language advocates and political parties like the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Shiv Sena (UBT), who see it as undermining Marathi pride and cultural identity. Protests, including violent incidents like assaults on non-Marathi speakers, have escalated tensions, especially ahead of the BMC elections. The government reversed the order after criticism, forming a committee to review it, but the debate continues, with leaders like Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray uniting to promote Marathi.
These violent assaults have become a great source of distress in the state for some, while they are also entertainment and publicity for others, unfortunately. Videos of shopkeepers, hawkers, and the public in general being assaulted in Mumbai are breaking the internet and are being featured on 9 PM news bulletins. What is disheartening is to see a country known for its rich diversity, and to celebrate each other’s culture, is now at the peak of intolerance.
This is not an isolated incident; earlier, similar outrage was seen in Karnataka, where there were similar violent outbreaks reported over the use of Hindi in the state. The usage of Hindi in education is a highly politicised matter where the state and the central governments have been at each other’s throats. The leaders across the country have used this issue to garner support and create a local vote bank.
In Maharashtra, too, the leaders have left no stone unturned to address the issue as per their beliefs and gains. The joint address by MNS chief Raj Thackeray and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has been the talk often the town. The two cousins who were believed to never see eye to eye came together, putting their decades-long feud aside to address this in a large public gathering in Mumbai. Their address involved mention of the current ruling disposition and how attempts to make India a Hindi-speaking nation are being made, and also a few remarks on the recent violent outbreaks, which could have encouraged the masses supporting this violent imposition, whilst others did not respond to these remarks. The leaders in power called this a political stunt ahead of the BMC elections, and some tried to add a religious angle to spin this.
The future of Mumbai and Maharashtra now seems to hang in the middle of this linguistic war. As I conclude, it’s very crucial that the leaders of today and importantly the leaders of tomorrow, the youth, remember these lines by Rabindranath Tagore.
“Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls…
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.”
Today, these ideals may seem like a distant dream. But hope still remains—that one day, we will awaken to a nation where these aspirations are fulfilled.
Jai Hind!