GUWAHATI: Parties and organisations in the Northeast have opposed the suggestion made by Union home minister, Amit Shah that the “country should be united by Hindi as the common language.”
Terming the suggestion “anti-secular and anti-Constitution”, Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) said the move to impose Hindi on the people of a country with such diversity would have adverse consequences.
“It is an insensitive statement. As the official language, Hindi has been a medium of communication across the country. I would term it anti-secular and anti-Constitutional, a move which can trigger strife, panic and unrest in the country besides harming the emotions of the diverse people of the country,” KHNAM youth wing president, Thomas Passah told The Shillong Times on Wednesday.
Shah had suggested on Hindi Diwas last Saturday that India should be united with Hindi, the most widely-spoken language of the country, with the assertion that it is “important for India to have one language marking its identity globally”.
“The Union home minister must understand that India is a diverse country with diverse languages and the world knows and appreciate our country because of our unity in diversity. The people and the government should be proud of this fact. In Meghalaya, Hindi is used as a medium of communication by choice to some extent only and therefore, we will not accept if a decision is made in favour of one language,” Passah said.
The Mizo Zirlai Pawl, the apex students’ body of Mizoram, too voiced similar concerns against imposition of Hindi as a common language.
“We oppose that kind of ideology. Hindi should not be the common language as there are many people belong to different tribes not only in Mizoram but some other Northeastern states who are not familiar with Hindi,” senior Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP) leader, Ricky L. Colney said.
Assam Sahitya Sabha, the apex literary body of Assam, vehemently opposed the suggestion by Shah with the Sabha president, Paramananda Rajbongshi saying that leaders of the country must remember that the Indian states have been re-organised on the basis of languages spoken by majority of their people.
“The mother tongue is the first language for children regarding their education. Languages like Hindi or English should be taught to children of the country only after they learn the basics of their vernacular languages,” he said.
All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) also termed the move as “undemocratic and anti-national”.
“The Union government should instead work for development of the indigenous languages,” said the AASU chief advisor, Samujjal Bhattacharya said.
