Tamil Nadu MK Stalin has slammed Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remark that people from different states in India should speak to each other in Hindi instead of English. Amit Shah had said that when citizens of different states communicate with each other, "it should be in the language of India." However, his statement has been met with backlash, with MK Stalin saying that it goes against the diversity of India.
“Union Home Minister Amit Shah saying ‘Use Hindi instead of English' is an attack on the unity of India. The BJP leadership is continuously working to destroy India’s diversity. Is Amit Shah thinking that 'Hindi state' is enough but not Indian states? One language for all does not ensure unity. Uniformity also does not create unity. You are repeating the same mistake. But you will not succeed in it,” MK Stalin said.
Amit Shah had quoted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that he has decided that the medium of running the government is the official language and this will definitely increase the importance of Hindi, according to a statement issued by the Union Home Ministry. He informed the members that now 70 per cent of the agenda of the Cabinet is prepared in Hindi. Shah said now the time has come to make the official language Hindi an important part of the unity of the country.
"ஆங்கிலத்துக்குப் பதிலாக இந்தியைப் பயன்படுத்துங்கள்" என்று ஒன்றிய உள்துறை அமைச்சர் @AmitShah சொல்வது இந்தியாவின் ஒருமைப்பாட்டுக்கு வேட்டு வைக்கும் செயல்!
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) April 8, 2022
இந்தியாவின் பன்முகத்தன்மையைப் பழுதாக்கும் வேலையை பாஜக தலைமை தொடர்ந்து செய்கிறது. (1/2)#StopHindiImposition
Shah’s statement was met with backlash from former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who dubbed his remark to be ‘Hindi imposition.’ Siddaramaiah said that Hindi is not India's national language, and that they will never let that happen. The senior Congress leader also accused the ruling BJP of trying to unleash its agenda of "cultural terrorism" against non-Hindi speaking states.
"Imposing Hindi is a sign of coercive federalism rather than cooperative federalism. Myopic view of BJP regarding our languages needs to be corrected and their opinions are derived from pseudo-nationalists like Savarkar," Siddaramaiah added.
The Trinamool Congress also said any effort to impose Hindi on non-Hindi speaking states will be resisted. Statingthat Hindi was not India's national language, the TMC said his agenda of "one nation, one language and one religion" will remain unfulfilled.
"If Amit Shah and the BJP try to impose Hindi on non-Hindi speaking states, it will be resisted. The people of this country, where there is so much diversity, will never accept such a thing. Even India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru had said that Hindi will not be imposed on non-Hindi speaking states until they are willing to accept it," senior TMC leader Sougata Roy said.