Stalin Opposes Hindi As Teaching Language, Quotes Nehru’s Assurance Of ‘English As One Of The Official Languages’
MK STALIN, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday to express his opposition to the alleged suggestion of a parliamentary committee that Hindi be the language of teaching in public educational institutions.
He also cited the first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and his assurance that “English will continue to be one of the official languages as long as the non-Hindi-speaking people want”.
“Respecting the sentiments and understanding the need to maintain Indian unity and harmony, the then Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru gave an assurance that ‘English will continue to be one of the official languages as long as the non-Hindi-speaking people want’. Subsequently, the resolutions passed in 1968 and 1976 on official language, and according to the rules laid down thereunder, ensured the use of both English and Hindi in union government services. This position must remain the cornerstone of all discussions on the official language, “Tamil Nadu CM said.
In a letter to Prime Minister Modi, Stalin said, “The Committee, chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, submitted its report, wherein inter alia, it recommends that Hindi should be the compulsory medium of instruction in educational institutions of the Union government such as IITs, IIMs, AIIMS and central universities and that Hindi should replace English.”
The DMK Chief said that the recommendation includes that Hindi shall be made as the medium of instruction in all technical, non-technical institutions and also in all government institutions, including Kendriya Vidyalayas.
“I am further given to understand that it has been further recommended that youth would be eligible for certain jobs only if they had studied Hindi, and the removal of English as one of the compulsory papers in recruitment exams. These are all against the federal principles of our constitution and will only harm the multi-lingual fabric of our nation,” the Tamil Nadu CM said.
Stalin also mentioned that there are 22 languages, including Tamil, in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India. Besides, the number of people speaking languages other than Hindi is numerically greater than that of Hindi-speaking people in the Indian Union.
“I am sure you would appreciate that every language has its own speciality with its uniqueness and linguistic culture. It is with the objective of protecting our rich and unique languages from the imposition of Hindi that English has been made as the link language and will continue to be one of the official languages of the Union Government,” he said.
He also noted that Hindi imposition is impractical and divisive in character, and it also puts non-Hindi-speaking people in a disadvantageous position in many respects. This won’t be acceptable not only in Tamil Nadu but also in any state that respects and values the mother tongue.
Stalin mentioned that India stands as a shining example of multicultural and multilingual democracy in the world arena today, because of the inclusive and harmonious policies being followed so far.
“But, I am afraid, the continued efforts to promote Hindi in the name of ‘one nation’ will destroy the feeling of the brotherhood of people of different languages and cultures and will be detrimental to the integrity of India,” Stalin said.
He suggested that the Union Government should take the approach of including all languages, including Tamil, in the Eighth Schedule, the official language, while also promoting all languages and keeping open the doors of progress in terms of education and employment for speakers of all languages.
The DMK leader also underlined that the official language resolutions from 1968 and 1976, along with the regulations established by them, guaranteed the use of both English and Hindi in union government services. All discussion on official languages must continue to be based on this approach.
