Marathi language groups and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena have opposed a Maharashtra government notification announcing Hindi examinations for its employees.

According to the notification, a Hindi examination will be held for gazetted officers and non-gazetted employees of the State government on June 28 at four centres in Maharashtra. Language groups have threatened protests and the burning of the notification if it is not withdrawn within a fortnight.

The government has said that the examinations are conducted routinely every year and are mandatory only for employees who did not study Hindi in Class X. Salary increments of employees will be withheld if they fail to clear the examination, which must be passed within three years of joining service.

“This is a part of the three language policy accepted by the state many years ago. These exams are being conducted since 1951, since even before the formation of the state. They are held twice a year, one in June and once in December. It is mandatory for those employees who did not study Hindi till Grade X as their third language. It is not mandatory for all employees. Typically, 2,000 to 2,500 government employees of all ranks give this exam annually. And the passing percentage is very high,” Arun Gite, Director of Languages, told The Hindu.

Defending the notification, the BJP said it was important for government officials to know Hindi. NCP leader Amol Mitkari said Hindi is the national language and that it is important for officials to know it.

Last month, the Directorate of Language issued a notification announcing a Hindi examination for its gazetted officers and non-gazetted employees. The examination will be held in Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. The notification asks candidates to submit applications by May 20. The lower grade examination is based on the Class X “Lokbharati” textbook, while the higher grade examination draws from the Class X “Kumarbharati” textbook, with the second paper’s syllabus remaining unchanged.

Opposition

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and the Marathi Bhasha Abhyas Kendra have opposed the examination. The MNS, which espouses the “sons of the soil” plank, has threatened that it will not allow the examinations to take place. The Marathi Bhasha Abhyas Kendra has warned the State government to withdraw the notification within a fortnight or face protests.

“We condemn this. We intend to oppose it till the government revokes this action. Our logic is that Directorate of Language was formulated by Yashwantrao Chavan for the development of Marathi. Rather than doing that genuine and core work, the Directorate is trying to impose Hindi. Recent migrants should make all possible efforts to learn Marathi. There is no need for any government employee to learn Hindi for any government proceedings. We appeal to the gazetted officers to show a spine and not adhere to this norm. They should go for civil disobedience. By the end of this month, the government should withdraw this senseless notification which insults the sentiments of the people of Maharashtra. If it doesn’t withdraw it, we will burn down the notification in front of the Collector office,” Deepak Pawar, head of Marathi Bhasha Abhyas Kendra, told The Hindu.