The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 mandates that all students across the country must learn three languages in school. Theoretically, NEP 2020 is more flexible than the previous versions of the three-language policy in India, which have always faced resistance not just in south India but also different States. Hindi is only one of the many Indian languages, and States are free to choose any two Indian languages and one foreign language in the mix of three, according to NEP 2020. However, the fear that Hindi will become the default option as the second Indian language apart from the native language is aggravated by Maharashtra government’s attempts to prioritise Hindi over other regional languages and its continuing vacillation on the issue. The State has now withdrawn its decision that Hindi will ‘generally’ be taught until Class five, as the second Indian language, after it kicked off a political storm in the State and put the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the back foot. A committee headed by Dr. Narendra Jadhav will now deliberate with all stakeholders on the relevance of the three-language policy. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said the government would accept its recommendation. This change of heart comes after estranged cousins Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray, legatees of a strident version of Marathi pride that often turned into violent xenophobia, came together to oppose what they see as “imposition” of Hindi. Evidently, the language issue is uniting political rivals against the BJP.

Languages associated with power gain more influence but attempts to force languages on people on the back of political power can be divisive. The paradox is that the BJP sees the three language policy as a question of national pride and unity. It is clear that most students, including those in India’s Hindi-speaking regions, want to learn English. According to Maharashtra Minister Ashish Shelar, nearly a fifth of students in the State are learning a third language and the new policy would give that option to all students. There are 15 languages including Hindi available in schools under the third language option, and when at least 20 students demand a language in a school, it will be taught. While this sounds noble and politically neutral, the actual implementation is different. Hardly anyone in Bihar has learnt Tamil or Malayalam or Kannada or Telugu under the three language policy so far. The chances of an overwhelming majority of students ending up with Hindi as part of the three-language policy is high. No State or school can offer a vast range of languages. The BJP must reassess its language policy taking into account the responses that are emerging from different parts of the country. It must learn the language of unity.