Protest staged in Delhi against Hindi imposition
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, April 17 2022: Together with other organisations, North-East Forum for International Solidarity (NEFIS) staged a protest demonstration at Arts Faculty, Delhi University, on Sunday against the imposition of Hindi on the non-Hindi speaking regions and communities.

Students from different communities and regions of the North-East as well as other parts of India participated in the protest, NEFIS said in a press release.

Denouncing union home minister Amit Shah's statement that northeast states have agreed to make Hindi compulsory till class 10th, the Forum said: "This latest attempt by the Union Government to impose Hindi makes it amply clear that it takes Hindi to be more important than all other languages spoken in India or recognised by the 8th schedule of the Constitution of India.

The current proposal, therefore, seeks to impose Hindi as a national language, thereby exerting Hindi chauvinism over other communities, especially marginalised communities".

It further said that instead of creating more infrastructure to promote languages of non-Hindi speaking regions, especially of linguistically marginal/minority communities, the ministry seeks to impose its diktat on people from non-Hindi speaking backgrounds, especially marginal/minority groups.

NEFIS continued: "This dismal situation is a result of the long standing bias and neglect on part of the government of India...The fact that the languages of so many communities/marginal groups are not given due recognition is not accidental but the unfortunate result of the insolent attitude of an arrogant state that chooses to impose its culture and language upon marginal groups/communities in the manner of a haughty conqueror".

While stating state NEFIS had earlier consistently opposed imposition of Hindi, the Forum recalled that there was an attempt by Delhi University in 2013 to make Hindi/Modern Indian languages compulsory without bothering in the least about how it would affect the students from the North-East and other parts of India, adding: "It was only after NEFIS' concerted struggle that the University withdrew its draconic order".

NEFIS then said it strongly denounced "this chauvinist statement" of the union home minister and demanded that the latter immediately retract his statement as well as the intent to impose Hindi on the non-Hindi speaking people.

It also demanded that the union minister tender an apology to the masses of the country for this statement, while warning that "NEFIS would further intensify its movement in the coming days, if the decision to impose Hindi, is not taken back" .

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