New Delhi: Union home minister and BJP national president Amit Shah’s assertion that Hindi can “unite the country” on Saturday received severe criticism from Opposition parties, who asked him to reconsider his appeal of Hindi becoming a “common language” of the country and “India’s identity globally.” On “Hindi Divas” on Saturday, Mr Shah said Hindi, which is spoken the most, can unite the whole country. Though he also asked everyone to use their native languages as much as possible, but said efforts will be made to expand Hindi’s reach to different parts of the country. After Mr Shah’s appeal, various pro-Kannada organisations staged protests in Karnataka and hashtags including #Stop HindiImperialism, #StopHindiImposition, #MakeMyLanguageOfficial started trending on the social media.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also tweeted on “Hindi Divas”: “The simplicity, spontaneity and elegance of a language provide meaningfulness to expression. Hindi has incorporated all of these aspects beautifully.” Hindi Divas is observed to mark the decision of the Constituent Assembly to extend official language status to Hindi on this day in 1949. It was first observed in 1953.

Reacting to Mr Shah’s appeal, DMK president M.K. Stalin said: “We have been continuously waging protest against imposition of Hindi. Today’s remarks made by Amit Shah gave us a jolt, it will affect the unity of the country. We demand that he takes his statement back.”

AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi also reacted sharply, saying “Hindi is not every Indian’s “mother tongue”. Could you try appreciating the diversity & beauty of the many mother tongues that dot this land? Article 29 gives every Indian the right to a distinct language, script & culture....India’s much bigger than Hindi, Hindu, Hindutva.”

TMC supremo and West Bengal chief minister Mamta Banerjee said “My best wishes to all on Hindi Diwas. We should respect all languages and cultures equally. We may learn many languages but we should never forget our mother-language.”   

Tweeting in Kannada, former chief minister Siddaramaiah said, “The lie that Hindi is a national language should stop. Let it be known to all that it is just like Kannada, one among the 22 official languages of India. You cannot promote a language by spreading lies and fake information. Languages flourish by affection and respect for each other.”

Earlier during the day Mr Shah, in a series of tweets in Hindi, said “India has many languages and every language has its importance. But it is absolutely necessary that the entire country should have one language that becomes India’s identity globally,” adding that if any language which can unite the country, it is Hindi that is spoken the most.

“I want to appeal to people to promote their native languages but also use Hindi to make the dream of Bapu (Mahatma Gandhi) and Sardar (Vallabhbhai) Patel of one language come true,” he tweeted.

Later, at a “Hindi Divas” function, Mr Shah said Hindi should reach every individual and every home in the country and from next year, “Hindi Divas” functions will be held in different parts of the country. He also said that by the time next parliamentary elections come in 2024, “Hindi would have achieved a monumental status.” He also said that socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia had said in a democracy, the language of the government should be a language which people can understand.

“When I first took charge of the home ministry, in the first 10 days, not a single file has come to me with Hindi noting. Now, 60 per cent files which come to me have Hindi notings,” he said.

Mr Shah said India’s strength is its many languages and dialects and it should be seen that a “foreign language does not overtake a native language.”

Mr Shah also referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and late external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj who delivered their speeches in UN General Assembly in Hindi.