india

Updated: Sep 15, 2019 17:17 IST

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday criticized Home Minister Amit Shah’s ‘one nation, one language’ statement saying the Union government was trying to impose Sangh Parivar’s agenda of imposing Hindi and it will open a new battlefront in the country.

Vijayan said the notion that only Hindi can unite the nation is absurd and it will whip up unnecessary controversies. “The perception that only Hindi can unite the nation is wrong. The Union minister’s Hindi agenda despite strong protests from various quarters is seen as a Sangh Parivar ploy to open a new battlefront in the name of language. It will not succeed in a country like India,” the CM said in a Facebook post.

Speaking on the occasion of Hindi Diwas on Saturday, Shah had stirred a hornet’s nest saying it was important that the country has one language reflecting its identity and said only Hindi could unite the country. “The adamant posture of the minister despite widespread protests against the imposition of Hindi shows the RSS is trying to open a new conflict in the country. It is a war cry towards the feeling of people who love their language like their mother. It is another ploy to divert attention from pressing issues the country and people face,” he said.

Also read: What RSS said about Hindi as a national language 50 years ago

“Attempts to make Hindi the primary language is an attempt to disown mother tongue of the respective areas. People should not feel that they are not Indians because they don’t understand Hindi. India has a national structure that accepts various languages. Nobody can dilute it,” Vijayan said.

CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and state opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala have also criticised Shah’s statement. “Divide and rule is the guiding spirit of the BJP government. Now it is trying to divide people on the lines of language. Imposition of Hindi was settled long back and there is no need of a discussion now,” said Chennithala.

Kerala governor Arif Mohammed Khan has supported the idea mooted by Amit Shah. “A language inspires and unites people. Let us strengthen our unity through Hindi, our national language,” he tweeted.