PUNE, June 30 -- The Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Mahamandal has welcomed the state government's decision to withdraw two controversial Government Resolutions (GRs) that made Hindi or other Indian languages compulsory from Class 1 in schools across Maharashtra. Milind Joshi, president of the Mahamandal, said the rollback was a much-needed correction in favour of Maharashtra's linguistic and cultural interests. "This is a decision in the interest of Maharashtra and its students. We wholeheartedly congratulate the chief minister and the government for withdrawing the GRs," he said. Joshi pointed out that it was Fadnavis himself who had played a key role in making the teaching of Marathi compulsory in all schools in the state. "We hope he continues to take decisions that protect the rights of Marathi-speaking students and strengthen the use of Marathi in public life," he added. Following the rollback, several educationists and parents groups have voiced support for the decision, calling it a welcome step towards preserving the balance in the state's multilingual education framework. "We welcome the government's decision to withdraw both GRs instead of just amending the clause that made Hindi or any third language compulsory from classes 1 to 5, as demanded unanimously across Maharashtra," said Sripad Bhalchandra Joshi, former president of the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Mahamandal and convenor of Marathichya Vyapak Hitasaathi (Movement for the Larger Interests of Marathi). Joshi, however, cautioned that there is still a probability that the government might attempt to push the same idea of making a third language compulsory, through committees filled with hand-picked 'experts' from within the ruling political fold....