AGARTALA: Amit Shah on Friday said that languages and their scripts should not be turned into political issues or subjects of controversy, urging parents to speak to their children in their mother tongue to preserve literature, culture and history. Addressing the Joint Regional Official Language Conference (Rajbhasha Sammelan) of the Eastern, North-Eastern and Northern regions in Agartala, Shah stressed that children who do not properly learn their mother tongue risk losing touch with their roots, traditions and cultural heritage.
He reiterated that the government has emphasized imparting primary education in students’ mother tongues to strengthen foundational learning and cultural identity. Calling on stakeholders in the Northeastern region to avoid politicizing language matters or creating disputes over scripts, Shah advocated the use of ‘Nagari Lipi’ (Devanagari script) for local languages, saying it would help safeguard linguistic identities while promoting wider communication.
Noting the immense diversity of the Northeast, Shah said the region has over 200 dialects across its eight states, more than 50 festivals, numerous ethnic communities, varied dance traditions and rich cultural practices. He added that countries which have effectively used their own languages for governance and education have achieved faster and more inclusive development.
Dismissing criticism against Hindi, Shah asserted that there is no conflict between Hindi and other Indian languages. He described the Northeast as an appropriate region to strengthen Rajbhasha Hindi and praised Tripura for simultaneously using Bengali, Kokborok and Hindi. Referring to renowned artists from the region — including Bhupen Hazarika, Sachin Dev Burman, Rahul Dev Burman and Zubeen Garg — he said their Hindi songs gave them national and international recognition and a broader platform.
Shah also noted that several prominent non-Hindi-speaking leaders contributed significantly to promoting Hindi during India’s freedom struggle. He pointed out that Hindi is not the primary language of his home state, Gujarat, yet he learned it and now conducts most of his official work in Hindi.
Highlighting the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shah said the government strengthened the Department of Official Language under the Ministry of Home Affairs to expand Hindi’s use nationwide. He further claimed that since 2014, after 21 peace agreements were signed, over 11,000 youths from extremist groups in the Northeast have surrendered, leading to reduced violence, increased tourism and rising investment in the region. (IANS)
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