Amid the ongoing language row in the country, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said on Saturday there should neither be any imposition of nor opposition to any language, as he addressed an event in Chennai to honour Tamil Nadu's late former chief minister M Karunanidhi.
“Every Indian language is rich. We must promote our mother tongue, and motherland. We should not oppose any language but we must support our language. No imposition of any language and no opposition to any language,” news agency quoted Naidu as saying. The Vice President made these remarks in the presence of current Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin, who is Karunanidhi's son.
Naidu further remarked that each Indian state has its own ‘vibrant and unique’ quality. “Each state is rich in linguistic richness, literary and cultural treasures, excellent architecture, remarkable craftsmanship, scientific, industrial and agricultural accomplishments,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Naidu further remarked that each Indian state has its own ‘vibrant and unique’ quality. “Each state is rich in linguistic richness, literary and cultural treasures, excellent architecture, remarkable craftsmanship, scientific, industrial and agricultural accomplishments,” he said.
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The Vice President's comments came two days after Tamil Nadu CM Stalin urged prime minister Narendra Modi to make Tamil an official language, just like Hindi, in the offices of Government of India and at the Madras high court.
‘Hindi imposition’ is a very sensitive issue in southern states, especially Tamil Nadu, which witnessed violent anti-Hindi agitations in the late 1960s.
The latest controversy began back in April, when Union home minister Amit Shah said Hindi, and not English, should be used by people from different states to speak with each other. However, Shah also said Hindi should not be used as alternative to local languages.
Last month, Kannada actor Kiccha Sudeep remarked ‘Hindi is no more a national language,’ triggering a Twitter war of words between him and Bollywood veteran Ajay Devgn.
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Last Friday, PM Modi sought to put an end to the controversy, mentioning at a function that his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ‘sees a reflection of Indian culture in every language and considers them worth worshipping.’