Last week, Union Home Minister Amit Shah shook Barr’s hive by saying that English language could be an alternative to English. Major political parties of South India have started opposing this statement unitedly. These parties say that they will firmly fight any attempt to impose English.
Language has been a contentious issue since the independence of the country. In the late 1950s, there was a lot of rhetoric on the question of language. There was a heated debate on this subject in the Constituent Assembly also. From Jawaharlal Nehru to many subsequent Prime Ministers, and many other national leaders, have burnt their hands on the language question.
Skilled politicians like Amit Shah know very well what implications will be drawn from his statement. Yet why did he insist on this? In fact, the promotion of English is one of the major plans of the BJP and the RSS, as they consider it important for the ‘integration’ of India. The principle of ‘One India-One Nation’ is tied to many issues, including language. That is why the BJP has been raising the question of language from time to time. Non-English speaking states call it ‘English imposition’ and they are vocal against it. They believe that the Center keeps promoting the English language and is also in favor of giving it a special status, but there is no such system in its constitution.
English is one of the 22 Indian languages recognized in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. After much debate, the Constituent Assembly recognized English as the official language of the Centre. When non-English speaking states objected, English was allowed to continue as the language of contact for 15 years. Since then its life has been continuously extended. Then it was also decided that all the states can use their respective regional languages as official languages. For this reason Tamil Nadu uses Tamil as the official language and West Bengal uses Bangla as its official language. Other non-English speaking states have done the same. The Center communicates with the states in English, while most Central University and All India Services examinations are conducted in English and English. Although, in some recent All India Competitive Examinations, questions have been asked in regional languages as well, but English and English continue to predominate in these.
It may be a matter of surprise for the people of English speaking states that why people from other parts of India do not speak their language? It has also struck a chord in his mind that English is the national language of India. In August 2020, Lok Sabha MP Kanimozhi had to face difficulties at the Chennai airport due to this reason. Then a CISF officer questioned his Indianness, as Kanimozhi had asked him to speak either in English or Tamil. The officer was not understanding that it is not mandatory for everyone to speak in English to be an Indian. Perhaps he did not even know that English is not the national language of India and it is one of the 22 languages of the Eighth Schedule. But English has a special status compared to other Indian languages, because it is the only Indian language, which is recognized as an official language of the country.
The question is, why should Indians choose a foreign language like English instead of English? What is the problem in making English the national language? And why should English not be abandoned? Their answers are simple. Non-English speaking states want the legal status of their language at par with English, and until then they feel that the language of contact should remain English. Language activists argue that one solution is to give equal official status to all Indian languages. After all, the European Union has solved the language problem by providing translations in all 24 languages of its continent.
The question is also why do we need a national language? An argument is made that English is the most understood language in India. But the census data exposes it. Obviously, technology can solve colloquial and functional difficulties, so it is necessary that political parties show the will to recognize all Indian languages. This dispute could become even more serious in 2026, because then the delimitation will be implemented. It is estimated that English-speaking states will add 100 additional seats in parliament at the cost of non-English speaking states. Since this exercise is largely population-related, there is also the question of social and economic development, as many non-English speaking states in the south and west are living with better social and economic indicators than the English belt.
So does this mean that the southern states will bear the brunt of the laxity of the English speaking states? This will also complicate the issue of migration, as migrant workers from the northern states keep coming to the southern states. The agitators say that instead of expecting migrant employers from English speaking areas to learn their language, learn the local language of the states.
Clearly, language is an issue that should be handled with utmost care, as it is not just a matter of connectivity. It is an emotional issue, which is also linked to identity. Language also makes citizens self-respecting. Therefore the government should give equal official status to all languages.
(These are the author’s own views)