Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], July 1 (ANI): Union Minister Ramdas Athawale welcomed the Maharashtra government's decision to withdraw the three-language policy and said that the Devendra Fadnavis government cancelled the policy even before agitations took place.

Speaking to the reporters on his visit to Raipur on Tuesday, Athawale said, 'There was a controversy in Maharashtra regarding the three-language formula. Hindi has always been our national language, and we respect it, but some people argued that there is no need to teach any other language in Marathi schools. Marathi people took an opposing stance. However, Devendra Fadnavis' government hit a sixer and cancelled the decision to (mandatorily) use the Hindi language even before any agitation took place.'

RPI chief Athawale's remarks come amid Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' announcement to withdraw the resolution on the three-language policy on June 24.

The Maharashtra government came under fire on April 16, as it passed a resolution mandating Hindi as the compulsory third language in Marathi and English-medium schools.

However, in response to the backlash, the government revised the policy on June 17 through an amended resolution, stating, 'Hindi will be the third language. For those who want to learn another language, at least 20 willing students are required.'

On June 24, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated that the final decision regarding the three-language formula will be taken only after discussions with litterateurs, language experts, political leaders, and all other concerned parties, which has now led to the cancellation of both the resolutions and the formation of a committee under Narendra Jadhav.

When asked about the Centre's decision to conduct a caste-based census, Athawale criticised Congress for not conducting one during their regime.

Ramdas Athawale said, 'Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian government have decided on the caste census, and this is a historic decision, as for many years it was demanded but was not conducted during Congress' rule. Rahul Gandhi was demanding it, but why did he not do it when his government was in power?'

'The Parliamentary committee will begin its work. The percentage of each caste will be known. We will get to know, after the independence, how much a caste has developed in terms of employment, and (participation in) agriculture and industries. And this will help the government to support the (backward) castes,' he told the reporters. (ANI)