Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday sought intervention from Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the issue surrounding a Parliamentary panel’s recommendation to make Hindi as the medium of instruction in all technical and non-technical higher educational institutions.
In a letter to PM Modi, Pinarayi Vijayan noted that the “essence of India is defined by the concept of ‘unity in diversity’ which acknowledges cultural and linguistic diversity,” reported news agency.
He warned the central government against promoting any one language above others, saying such a move would destroy the integrity of the nation.
“To mandate a common language which is practically impossible is akin to stating that only Hindi speakers are the rightful citizens of India and speakers of other languages are second-class citizens. This is divisive in nature,” Stalin said.
Stalin appealed to the prime minister to give up attempts to make Hindi mandatory and uphold the unity of India instead.
The Eighth Schedule to the Constitution has given 22 languages, including Tamil, equal rights.
“Why is it recommended to discontinue English language question paper in the Union recruitment examinations to give preference for Hindi? It is against the spirit of the constitution to provide undue, unfair advantage to Hindi and discriminate against other Indian languages while raising “Bharat Mata ki Jai” as a political slogan in the parliament,” Stalin said.