New Delhi, October 12
After Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan has also criticised recommendations of a parliamentary panel headed by Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the use of Hindi and local languages as the medium of instruction in educational, including technical, institutes.
Stalin, who termed proposals “direct onslaught on India’s soul”, said if implemented a vast non-Hindi speaking population would be made “second-class citizens” in their own land.
Vijayan too called the proposal “an onslaught on India’s cherished ideal, unity in diversity”. “Hindi imposition will disadvantage a vast majority of people in the country in matters of education and employment. This callous move, an affront on cooperative federalism, has to be opposed unitedly,” he added.
Telangana minister KTR joined in, accusing the Narendra Modi government of “flouting the federal spirit”.
“India does not have a national language and Hindi is one among the many official languages. To impose Hindi by way of mandating in IITs and Central recruitment, the NDA is flouting the federal spirit. Indians should have a choice of language,” the TRS working president said.
Officials, however, said the recommendations that had reignited the language war in southern states were in line with the new National Education Policy. Asking PM Modi to intervene, Vijayan said Hindi couldn’t be imposed as the main language of instruction as the country has many languages and that a single language cannot be termed as the country’s language. “Youth have limited job opportunities in public sector and it will not be in the best interest of society if any attempt to put a substantial section of them at a relative disadvantage is made,” he was quoted as saying.
Shah to launch medical edu project
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