Editorial: Stop linguistic hegemony

Linguistic diversity forms the bedrock of India’s identity. It is the celebration of this pluralism that strengthens the country’s unity. Any attempt to tinker with the diversity will amount to undermining the civilisational idea of India. The Centre’s move to make Hindi a medium of instruction in all technical and non-technical educational institutions, including central […]

Linguistic diversity forms the bedrock of India’s identity. It is the celebration of this pluralism that strengthens the country’s unity. Any attempt to tinker with the diversity will amount to undermining the civilisational idea of India. The Centre’s move to make Hindi a medium of instruction in all technical and non-technical educational institutions, including central universities, smacks of linguistic hegemony and is fraught with dangerous consequences. A Parliamentary Committee on Official Language, headed by Home Minister Amit Shah, has recommended that Hindi be made the medium of instruction in technical and non-technical educational institutes including IITs, AIIMS and Kendriya Vidyalayas. By trying to impose Hindi on a diverse country, the NDA government is undermining the federal spirit. It must be pointed out that India does not have a national language and Hindi is just one among many recognised official languages. It was to the credit of the enormous wisdom of the framers of the Constitution that all other languages, along with Hindi, were accorded the official language status. The imposition of Hindi would be a great disservice to the youth who have global aspirations. Understandably, a strong pushback to the Parliamentary panel’s controversial prescription has come from leaders across the political spectrum in the South, including Chief Ministers MK Stalin and Pinarayi Vijayan. Telangana IT and Industries Minister KT Rama Rao has rightly argued that the Centre’s latest move is unconstitutional and demanded that the recommendation be withdrawn forthwith. At a time when the world is becoming increasingly open, promoting English would help the majority of Indians in finding jobs.

Enforcing Hindi on 60% of non-speakers will certainly create a backlash. Already, students who pursue education in regional languages are losing out on central government job opportunities as questions in qualifying tests for these jobs are in Hindi and English. There are around 20 central recruitment agencies which conduct the exams in Hindi and English. The union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts 16 recruitment exams for national posts in the two languages. Job announcements from central recruiting agencies are scarce and the limited recruitment drives are discriminatory against the students who pursued education in regional languages. It is extremely unwise to insist that the work in reputed institutions like the ISRO and DRDO be done in Hindi. Other recommendations by the panel for mandatory use of Hindi in offices and other places will also work against the interests of people from non-Hindi States. Mobility within the country will then solely depend on knowledge of Hindi. Though the local languages are mentioned by the committee along with Hindi, it is clear that the recommendations are intended to ensure the domination of Hindi. It is a move towards linguistic majoritarianism and will undermine the idea of India and the federal bargain that undergirds its unity.