'They have brought out a provision whereby the medium of education in the Hindi speaking states will be Hindi even in the higher education institutions like IIT, IIM, etc.'
'Think about the students from the south who get admission in the IITs in Kanpur or Delhi or the IIMs in various places.'
When the Communist Party of India-Marxist Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas was speaking in Parliament about the central government's designs in imposing Hindi on all the citizens of India, Prime Minister Narendra D Modi walked in.
'I am glad that the Honourable Prime Minister is listening to me. Sir, there is a pernicious and sinister design and overt and covert attempts, perhaps stronger than ever, to elevate Hindi as the sole national language of the country. Sir, imagine if Sundar Pichai was forced to write his exams in Hindi, would he have reached the top position of Google as we all Indians are proud of?' Brittas asked Modi.
"This will have far reaching consequences on the unity and diversity of the country. You don't expect this from the Government of India," Brittas tells Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier in the first of a two-part interview:
In your speech in Parliament, you alleged that the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme's (MPLADS) revised guidelines enforced imposition of Hindi. Why do you feel so?
I feel there is a trend in this country that in every bit of space, Hindi is being pushed by the government.
For example, the MPLADS programme. When you inaugurate the programme, if at all such a programme is there, the plaque is normally written in the local language of the state or in English whichever is convenient to us.
Now the new guideline suggests we need to have the writings in Hindi too.
I don't understand what relevance it has got in Kerala or Tamil Nadu or any other state where people don't even read Hindi.
This actually demonstrates the covert and overt operation of the Government of India to push Hindi.
Do you get the feeling that the BJP is still acting like a north Indian Hindi-speaking party that cannot see beyond those boundaries?
It is not about north India or south India. Rather, this is part of the ideology of the ruling party.
They don't respect the diversity of the country; they see it from the perspective of a unilateral ideology.
There is an inherent underlying emotion of Hindu, Hindi and Hindustan.
So, I feel this has much to do with their ideology rather than the north or south divide.
Imposing Hindi is to obliterate or eliminate the cultural diversities because language is one of the most powerful beacons of diversity.
The moment you impose a language on others, it suits your ideology.
So, in a way, they are moving away from what Nehru had promised to the non-Hindi speaking states soon after Independence...
Actually, the Constitution envisages that the diversity of this country needs to be protected, nourished and enriched.
What the BJP government does is sadly contrary to the spirit of the Constitution.
And language is only one of the verticals -- I will not say it is the sole vertical -- but behind anything and everything they do has the ideological inclination or intention to ignore the diversity of the country.
You mean, they want to propagate the idea of one nation, one language, one culture which they always talk about?
That is exactly what I meant when I said Hindu, Hindi and Hindustan.
Do you think something like the anti-Hindi agitation of the 1960s will happen again?
I always want only harmony and peace in the country.
Yes, such actions by the government can create fissures in the community, society and country which have to be avoided.
I have been watching the political discourse of the country for more than three decades.
For the last few years, a particular form of narrative is brought out, and Hindi is one powerful vehicle for that.
So, this is not something that came out of the blue; this is part of a very thought out design and very calibrated intention.
But this will have far reaching consequences on the unity and diversity of the country.
You don't expect this from the Government of India.
You expect the government to adhere to the spirit of the Constitution and what our founding fathers and freedom fighters promised to this land.
So, these moves are against the spirit of the nation.
You think all the slogans of the government, whether it is Swachch Bharat or Aatmanirbhar Bharat or Azadi ki Amrut Mahotsav, are well-thought-out plans?
Obviously. Every action is well thought out.
I will tell you one more thing. I have been observing the parliamentary discourses for decades.
Earlier, English used to be one of the dominant languages in Parliament and Hindi also used to be there.
Now, 90% of the discourses in Parliament are in Hindi.
Even those ministers who are from non-Hindi landS are forced to speak in Hindi.
The moment a Cabinet minister starts speaking in English, a chorus goes from the ruling party to switch over to Hindi.
There is a strategy to ensure that the entire discourse in Parliament is done in Hindi.
That's what is happening in the official language committee's report that has to be submitted to the President. It hasn't come up, but a major part of the report is already reported in the media.
That they want Hindi as the official language?
Not just that. They have brought out a provision whereby the medium of education in the Hindi speaking states will be Hindi even in higher education institutions like IIT, IIM, etc.
Think about the students from the south who get admission in the IITs in Kanpur or Delhi or the IIMs in various places. They will be forced to study in Hindi.
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
