Call for linguistic equality after CRPF job notification reflects Centre’s Hindi imposition

Organisations have raised their voice against the insistence on taking the recruitment examination only in English or Hindi would deny opportunities for several lakhs of youngsters who would want to take the exam in their mother tongue.

Hyderabad: Protest is simmering after a notification issued by the Union Home Ministry on recruitment to about 1.3 lakh posts of constables in the Central Reserve Police Force, with the rider that the computer-based test would be conducted in English and Hindi only.

Organisations including Bangla Pokkho, which fights cultural and linguistic imperialism, political analysts and academicians, including Prof. Ghanta Chakrapani, who is also the former chairman of the Telangana State Public Service Commission, have raised their voice against this, stating that the insistence on taking the recruitment examination only in English or Hindi would deny opportunities for several lakhs of youngsters who would want to take the exam in their mother tongue.

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Bangla Pokkho general secretary Garga Chatterjee, protesting against the insistence of Hindi, appealed to leaders including Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to call for the CRPF recruitment examination to be held in all scheduled languages.

Notification issued by Union Home Ministry for 140000 CRPF jobs. Hindipeople can give exam in Hindi. Non-Hindi people can't give exam in their mother tongue. Appeal to @mkstalin, @MamataOfficial, @siddaramaiah, @pinarayivijayan to stand for CRPF exam in all scheduled languages. pic.twitter.com/eaWqbsA62c

— Garga Chatterjee (@GargaC) April 6, 2023

Prof. Chakrapani, pointing out that there were two States, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, with several youngsters who would prefer to take the exam in their mother tongue of Telugu, appealed to Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and Telangana IT Minister KT Rama Rao to take up the issue.

গর্গ ভাই! আমাদের দুটি তেলেগু রাজ্য আছে। pls অন্তর্ভুক্ত. @TelanganaCMO @AndhraPradeshCM @ysjagan @KTRBRS https://t.co/TLlhvgAhfC

— Prof. Chakrapani Ghanta (@GhantaC) April 6, 2023

Several people supported their demand, pointing out that insisting on English and Hindi would deny the rights to lakhs of youngsters who had studied in medium other than these two languages and also on the Centre’s continuing attempt to impose Hindi on the entire country.

The Ministry of Home Affairs issued the notification on Thursday, as per which 10 per cent of the vacancies are reserved for Agniveers. As per the notification, candidates who have passed matriculation or equivalent are eligible to apply for the vacancies. There will be physical, written as well as medical tests. Candidates need to qualify in physical and written tests first for further processing.