Hindi is a unifying factor, not a consuming force. Regional leaders must listen again to what Amit Shah said

Today on the occasion of Hindi Diwas, Union Home Minister Amit Shah made an appeal to unify the country with the country’s most popular language in terms of speakers- Hindi. In his tweet, he mentioned that it is “important for India to have one language marking its identity globally.” 

However, he made it clear that while the Hindi language can unify the country, India is a country of many languages and that every language has its value. It is important to mention here that September 14 marks the day on which the Constituent Assembly adopted Hindi as the official language of India. While English and Hindi, which is written in the Devanagri script, are the two official languages of India, there are 22 other scheduled languages in the country. 

Amit Shah said, “India is a country of many different languages, and each language has its significance, but it is necessary to have a common language that becomes the mark of India’s identity globally.” He also said, “Today, if there is one language that can string the nation together in unity, it is the Hindi language which is the most widely spoken and understood language in India.” 

While the Union Home Minister Amit Shah only spoke about the unifying potential of Hindi and that it is important for India to have one language marking its global identity, those who have traditionally opposed the promotion of Hindi language have misinterpreted Shah’s statement, launching a firm opposition to his statement. 

DMK President MK Stalin said, “The Home Minister’s views threatening India’s integrity are painful and condemnable. The DMK will not hesitate to unite states which stand to lose rights due to Hindi dominance.” 

Senior CPI (M) leader Md. Salim also tweeted, “Amit Shah says Hindi is a ‘RajBhasha’ which unifies Indians. Why did former Gujarat CM Narendra Modi & HM Amit Shah not protest against the Gujarat HC order which labelled Hindi as a foreign language?” 

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi also displayed vehement opposition to the Union Home Minister’s statement and said, “Hindi isn’t every Indian’s “mother tongue”. Continuing further with his statement against Shah’s pitch for Hindi, Owaisi said that Article 29 the right of the right to a distinct language, script & culture to every Indian. He also resorted to the usual rhetoric and said that India’s much bigger than Hindi, Hindu, Hindutva.

The extreme reactions to Shah’s statement on the occasion of Hindi Diwas seem to be based on a very narrow and flawed understanding of the entire issue. 

It needs to be kept in mind that Article 351 places a duty upon the Union to promote the Hindi language with a view of developing the language in such a way that it serves as a medium of expression. 

Moreover, Article 343 also provides for Hindi as the official language. Though both English and Hindi are official languages, it can be said that Hindi enjoys at least a slightly higher status than English as per the Constitutional provisions. 

By stressing on the unifying potential of Hindi language and the need of a common language that can string the nation together, Shah has only worked towards fulfilling the Constitutional duty of promoting Hindi as a medium of expression. As such those who are raising apprehensions about undue opposition of Hindi or assault on regional languages should try to understand the right thing in the right perspective before making such allegations. 

This is neither an imposition of the majoritarian language nor an attack on the regional languages/ culture or the linguistic diversity of the country. Even the Constitution of India recognises 22 scheduled languages to give due recognition to the linguistic diversity of India. 

The purpose of recognising Hindi as an official language and giving it priority over English was administrative convenience and national identity rather than dominating regional languages and destroying linguistic diversity as many regional leaders and those opposed to the promotion of the Hindi language are trying to claim. Even Union Minister Amit Shah appealed to the citizens to promote their mother tongue, as well as Hindi to fulfil the dream of Mahatama Gandhi and Sardar Patel. 

In such circumstances, propaganda about his remarks being an assault on the regional languages and a not-so-subtle attempt to impose Hindi on the entire country, amount to mere fear-mongering stemming out of unnecessary misinterpretations and concoctions.