3 min readMumbaiMay 6, 2026 11:53 AM IST
A fresh language row has erupted in Maharashtra after the state government decided to conduct a Hindi language examination for gazetted government officers and employees, drawing sharp opposition from the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), which warned of protests if the move is enforced.
The Maharashtra Government’s Language Directorate has scheduled the examination on June 28 in Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. While the government has not yet publicly issued a detailed clarification of the examination’s purpose, Marathi-language activists and political groups have questioned the need for Hindi testing in a state where Marathi is the official language.
The development comes weeks after the Maharashtra Government pushed for auto-rickshaw drivers to know Marathi, reviving wider debates around language, identity and regional politics in the state.
Reacting strongly to the decision, MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande accused the government of attempting to impose Hindi “through the backdoor” and warned of agitation at examination centres if the June 28 test is conducted.
While speaking to reporters, Deshpande said, “We are already insisting that Marathi should be spoken and respected in Maharashtra. Marathi is the state language. Then why should officers here be forced to appear for a Hindi examination?”
He alleged that the government was trying to “please leaders sitting in Delhi” and claimed the move reflected a larger political attempt to promote Hindi in non-Hindi-speaking states.
Issuing a direct warning to the government, Deshpande said the MNS would strongly oppose the examination if it were made compulsory for officers. “If the government forcibly conducts this examination, then whatever happens at the examination centres on June 28, the state government will be responsible for it,” he said.
Story continues below this ad
He further questioned why officers in Maharashtra should be required to learn Hindi when Marathi itself was still not being fully implemented in administration and official communication. “This is an indirect attempt to impose Hindi. We will not allow such efforts in Maharashtra,” he said.
Language remains a politically sensitive issue in Maharashtra, where parties across the political spectrum have often taken strong positions on Marathi identity and its use in public life.
The MNS has repeatedly campaigned for wider use of Marathi in government offices, businesses, educational institutions and public transport.
The party has also opposed what it calls attempts by BJP-led governments at the Centre and in the state to gradually expand the use of Hindi in administration and education. Similar controversies have emerged in the past over Marathi signboards, Hindi in schools and language requirements in public services.
Story continues below this ad
The latest controversy has once again triggered debate over the balance between promoting Marathi as the state’s official language and the use of Hindi in administration and official work.
