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Language Row: Some politicians continue to rake up the language row, even as PM Narendra Modi has clearly said that the BJP sees a reflection of Indian culture in every Indian language.
Activists of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike during a rally over the 60% Kannada sign board rules, in Bengaluru on December 27, 2023. (PTI)
The tug-of-war over languages seems to be never-ending, with Tamil Nadu sparking fresh debate while Karnataka and Telangana are trying to catch up. Some politicians continue to rake up the language row, even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi on several occasion has clearly said that the BJP sees a reflection of Indian culture in every Indian language and considers every Indian language worthy of reverence.
“It is our social responsibility to distance ourselves from these misconceptions and embrace and enrich all languages,” PM Modi recently said during the inaugural function of the 98th Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan in New Delhi.
What Led To 2025 Language Row?
The present language row is over a three-language formula for school education, prescribed under the National Education Policy (NEP), with the Tamil Nadu‘s ruling DMK accusing the Centre of attempting to impose Hindi on the state by insisting on the policy’s implementation.
When Did Last Language Row Happen?
In 2022, Kannada actor Kichcha Sudeep’s exchange with his Bollywood peer Ajay Devgn had kicked off a debate over a push for Hindi supremacy. Devgn had claimed “Hindi was, is, and will always be our mother tongue and national language”, much to the chagrin of proponents of India’s linguistic diversity.
Even then PM Modi had said that the BJP considers Indian languages the soul of Bharatiyata and the link to a better future for the country.
Language Row: What Happened In India This Week
• Punjab‘s former deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal has strongly condemned Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) decision to drop Punjabi from regional languages in the 2025-26 curriculum. “Punjabi is our mother tongue, spoken and read across various states and many countries worldwide. This attack on our mother tongue will not be tolerated,” Badal said, adding the CM Bhagwant Mann should take a cue from Telangana government.
• The Telangana government has said Telugu will be made mandatory for all schools, including those affiliated with the centre-administered CBSE, as part of a push to ensure students learn their mother tongue or, in case of students from outside the state, the regional language. The state also said the syllabus for Class IX and X students will be pared down – from ‘standard Telugu’ to a ‘simple Telugu’, starting from 2025/26 for the former and 2026/27 for the latter.
• The long-standing Karnataka-Maharashtra border dispute once again flared up this week. This time the war was over language in Belagavi. Tensions escalated after a KSRTC bus conductor in Belagavi was assaulted for not responding in Marathi. Soon after, a Maharashtra bus driver was blackened with paint in Karnataka’s Chitradurga. Following these attacks, both states suspended bus services, citing safety concerns.
• Actor Ranjana Natchiyaar quit the Bharatiya Janata Party, which she joined eight years ago, citing dissatisfaction over alleged Hindi imposition. She on Wednesday joined fellow actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam.
• Zoho chief scientist Sridhar Vembu, however, urged Tamil-speaking engineers and entrepreneurs to learn Hindi for business growth. Vembu, speaking in the context of Zoho’s operations, highlighted how engineers in rural Tamil Nadu often struggle while working with clients in Mumbai and Delhi, making Hindi a valuable skill.
