It is often said that language can unite people as well as it can also foster division. A particular language can also be used to bridge a gap between societies, and it can also be used to isolate societies. In Assam and other northeastern states, communist ecosystems and their elites use language to spread disinformation and invoke divisions in society.
There has been much uproar on the recent statement of the Home Minister Amit Shah, where he urged the people of the nation to use Hindi as a secondary language after native languages. He asked people to minimize the use of the English language wherever possible and replace it with our homegrown Hindi language.
He also made it clear that Hindi subject would be made mandatory in the northeastern region up to class 10.
Now, as usual, brushing the facts inside the carpet and provoking the emotions of people, a particular ecosystem in Assam and other NE states has started narrative labelling this act as a forceful imposition of Hindi. There have been other objections, particularly in Assam, that this is an act to marginalize and replace the Assamese identity of Assam.
Even some of the outraged people on social media are buying these arguments, and even some are dubbing it as against the constitution of India that talks about India as a diverse nation. However, these arguments are antagonistic and far from the actual reality.
First of all, nowhere did central Home Minister Amit Shah remarked that the Hindi language would be used to replace Assamese and other native languages. He stated that try to use the Hindi language as an alternative to English wherever it is possible. Secondly, some are spinning a false narrative that making Hindi compulsory in schools is anti-Assamese.
By this logic, most schools have English subjects mandatory, so can we dub this also anti-Assamese? Apart from this New Education Policy currently in the implementation phase, several schools have provisions for taking education in the native language. Hence, the students will always have the option to learn and study Assamese and other native languages.
One more point that is essential to note is that any state owed native language is confined to a particular geography or state. This should be preserved at the state or regional level, and a reasonable discussion and willingness should come from the people of a state or state government itself to safeguard and promote a particular regional language like Assamese. However, it should not hinder people from learning a language like Hindi, which is of national importance and can prove worthwhile to overcome language barriers to communicate across the nation.
We are at the age of globalization, and we need some ways to co-exist by exploring common unification points. At the global level, it is English. At the national level, it is indisputably Hindi as it is the most used language in India and even if some may not be an expert on this, but most people understand this language. States like Assam need individuals from other parts of India to come and invest in the state to bring employment and growth. To accomplish this, language should not become a deterrent for others and even for the people of Assam.
Now some people also have superficial assertions like it is against the diverse identity of India and is also against the ethos of the constitution. This argument is defective, and the fact is article 351 of the Indian constitution states that the Indian government should take measures to encourage the use of the Hindi language across India to make this language a link language for all. Now what Amit Shah is saying today is the part of the constitution crafted by our legendary constitutional makers.
It is also ironic to see that Assam Congress and central congress leaders are hell-bent on establishing that by imposing the Hindi language, the BJP is fulfilling the commands of RSS. But the fact that you all must know is that the Congress party itself presented recommendations to promote Hindi by forming a committee when Congress was in power.
This committee was led by a Tamil politician and the then home minister of India, P. Chidambaram. This exposes the agenda and hypocrisy of the Congress party on the Hindi language.
People of Assam and other northeastern states must embrace our homegrown Hindi language from a nationwide perspective and, at the same time, keep working to preserve their native state languages by taking enthusiastic participation and protecting demography from illegal infiltrations. Let us not buy the disinformation and malicious agenda on the Hindi language.
By- Suranjan Dutta
