‘Ask Sachin Tendulkar about cricket, not Hindi’: Sharad Pawar slams calls for celebrities to take stand on NEP row; backs Raj Thackeray’s protest but questions pressure tactics

KOLHAPUR: NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Friday said celebrities such as cricketer Sachin Tendulkar should not be insisted upon to express their views on making Hindi a must in Maharashtra school curriculum through National Education Policy 2020."Ask Sachin about cricket; don't force him to take a stand on Hindi imposition," the veteran politician said in Kolhapur on Friday. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray announced a march in Mumbai on July 5 against Hindi as a compulsory language for students in state schools from Class 1. Although NCP (SP) has declared support to the July 5 Mumbai protest march, Raj Thackeray said he wanted to see who — especially Marathi artists and sportspersons — turn up and who do not for the march."I don't know what Raj Thackeray meant by that. Why should one insist that Sachin Tendulkar puts his views across (on the issue of Hindi imposition)? I can understand if he is asked to share his views about cricket. Don't ask such personalities about issues not related to them. The issue of imposition of Hindi is important for us. Someone seeking their views and saying ‘will see who comes for the protest and who does not' is not good," Pawar said.At the receiving end of criticism after issuing a govt resolution on a three-language policy from Std I last week, state govt in a partial rollback on Thursday said the third language would be taught orally, in Stds I and II, with no textbooks given to students and tests or exams. The NCP (SP) chief added, "Teach Hindi in state schools from Std V. Ignoring Hindi is also not good, as around 55% of people in the country speak the language."