india

Updated: Jan 11, 2016 07:43 IST

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday said that she wanted to see that the “supremacy” of Hindi over English is established in her ministry.

“To promote Hindi language is not just the job of an organisation or sangathan, it is the responsibility of all office-bearers of the external affairs ministry. Everyone should take a pledge to help earn Hindi its deserved place, which has been neglected for so many years.

“The monopoly of English should be broken. I want to see that day in future when the supremacy of Hindi over English is established at the external affairs ministry,” she said at the ministry’s “Vishwa Hindi Diwas” programme.

Taking a dig at the UPA government, she noted that even though ‘Vishwa Hindi Diwas’ is being celebrated every year since 2006, Hindi was neither spoken nor written at the external affairs ministry till 2014.

“I once visited Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) after becoming the minister. A number of books were showed to me. I only asked them one thing, ‘how many books have been written or translated in Hindi, the reply was not even one’.

“Every year since 2006 ‘Vishwa Hindi Diwas’ was celebrated, and even pledge used to be taken to promote Hindi, but was forgotten after 24 hours,” she added.

Sushma Swaraj commended her own government’s efforts in promoting Hindi.

“Today I am glad to say that it has been just 19 months since we’ve come to power, but Hindi is now gaining its must-required place in the external affairs ministry. It is now breaking the monopoly of English in the ministry.

“Both the prime minister and the external affairs minister are not ashamed of speaking in Hindi. They feel proud of it. It should be noted that both of us addressed the United Nations in Hindi. I have also made it a point to speak to the foreign guests, who speak in their own languages and not in English, in Hindi,” she added.

She also congratulated the foreign students who studied Hindi in India and participated in the ‘Vishwa Hindi Diwas’, and praised the Kendriya Hindi Sansthan for promoting the language.