‘English speakers in this country will soon be ashamed- construction of such a country is not far away’- Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
‘No attempt to impose Hindi on Marathi speakers will be tolerated’- Raj Thackeray, leader of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.
‘Never try to distribute Marathi speaking people through Hindi- Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin says, ‘Some fundamentalists call us blind and anti -national for the’ crime ‘for Tamils ​​to demand a proper place in Tamil Nadu. The real blind and anti -national Hindi radicals, who believe that their right is natural, but our opposition is treason.
This dispute over the language has once again dominated the country’s agenda and how? Blind power has always been a political weapon about the language. Now it is once again in front that has exposed the hypocrisy and narrow political agenda inside the leaders who want to distract attention from the necessary issues of our time.
Amit Shah and his son Jai Shah have studied English medium
Let’s start with the Home Minister. Amit Shah’s complaints against English comes from the Biliff System of the Sangh Parivar’s Hindi-Hindu-Hindustan, a belief that sees English as a colonial language contrary to ‘Indian culture’.
The irony is that Amit Shah has done a bio-chemistry course at St. Xavier’s College, Ahmedabad, which is considered an allite English institution in the city. Later he went to study at CU Shah Science College in the city.
His son Jai Shah, who is now the President of the International Cricket Council (ICC, has studied from Loyola Hall in Ahmedabad. It is one of the most popular English medium schools in the city.
Despite this, Amit Shah never hid his dislike towards English. Senior Ahmedabad journalist Rajiv Shah tells an interesting story. Rajiv used to work in the Times of India in those days and Amit Shah was then a minister in the Gujarat government. Rajiv was told by Amit Shah that he does not read the country’s major newspaper Times of India because it is in English.
Months later, during the election campaign, Amit Shah saw Rajiv at a rally and objected to a news published in the Times of India. The journalist asked the minister, ‘How do you know about this news, you do not read English newspapers at all.
Angered on his question, Amit Shah had said, ‘I do not read your newspaper, but there are many people who tell me what is printed in it.’
Uddhav Thackeray’s Marathi First agenda
Like Shah, Thackeray has also taught his children in English medium schools. Thackeray speaks Hindi and also gives interviews in Hindi, despite this his politics revolves around ‘Marathi-First’ agenda. Perhaps they do this work to create their own identity in the crowded political market.
If the BJP has been started to set up the Hindi controversy as a ‘nationalist’ force for Amit Shah, then it is an attempt to re -start this movement for Thackeray to re -air the language issue, which was the basic issue of Bal Thackeray, the founder of Shiv Sena.
Today, when Shiv Sena chief is spewing fire on non-Marathi speakers, we need to remember that his first job as a cartoonist was with the English newspaper Free Press Journal. Today, when the Shiv Sena is completely divided and is facing the crisis of existence, Thackeray of the next generation is trying to unite again under the guise of linguistic pride.
MK Stalin Sulga North vs South Fire
For MK Stalin, the people of Tamil Nadu have to create a political weapon before the next year’s election in the state. The emergence of the Dravidian parties in the 1960s revolved around the staunch anti-Hindi movements made to revive a strong Dravidian culture.
Six decades later, by claiming that the three-language formula of the new education policy is another attempt to impose Hindi on Tamil-speaking citizens, the Chief Minister of DMK is re-sleaking the North-Banam-South fight to strengthen his position as a flag bearer of regional identity.
On the one hand, the DMK family is promoting the slogan of ‘Tamil First’ but the fact is that the next generation of the family is sending its children to study in foreign universities. It is also necessary to remember that most of the private schools in Chennai are keen to introduce three languages, which also includes Hindi as an option.
Children of leaders who are against English study in English medium schools
Leaders who speak against English, from old socialist Lohia to Hindutvaists to regional leaders, prefer to send their children to English schools.
Amit Shah can speak against English, but he will have to survey his Union Cabinet colleagues and find out how many of them have chosen the option to send their children to Hindi or regional language medium schools.
Children of at least half a dozen cabinet ministers are studying in reputed foreign universities. English is now seen not as colonial language but as a language of aspiration. Go to any corner of the country, you will see how fast the coaching classes of English language are growing, which aims to give ‘new’ India a chance to climb the social ladder.
Instead of being ’embarrassed’ in speaking English, most of the young Indians want to excel in it. Sadly, there is a lack of quality in the quality of teaching English in many parts of the country. For example, for this reason, Gujarat has lagged behind in soft skill-operated service industry.
South India films are getting hit among Hindi speakers
Interestingly, Hindi has now become a language of moving forward in many corners of India and also an ambition. If we look at the success of many films made in the south, then you will know that many films there are proving to be a blockbuster in Hindi. Traditional North-South division is rapidly disappearing on the big screen. The same is happening on the cricket field- who must have thought that Ranchi-born Hindi-speaking Mahendra Singh Dhoni will become the hero of Chennai Super Kings?
Language politics will no longer run!
Mumbai is also now less Maharashtrian city. Hindi is not only the language of its famous film industry, but is also the language of livelihood of its roads which is flourishing due to North Indian migrants. But proud of its language at the local level still matters, but now there is no need to make one language against another language.
This is the reason that people who are fighting for language battles should understand that these are the defeat battles, which can provide temporary political benefits, but they cannot be continued beyond a limit. Linguistic diversity is the strength of India, being multilingual is a matter of benefit. Politicians who do not have anything to say can take refuge in linguistic bigotry. Most Indian youth are looking for jobs, they are not crazy about language.
In the end- I once interviewed a senior leader who used to insist on speaking in Hindi because he wanted to reach the ‘public’. At the end of the interview, he proudly introduced me to his son- please meet my educated youngman in America! ‘
(Rajdeep Sardesai is a senior journalist and writer. His new book is 2024: The election that Surprised India)
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