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The Congress, when in power at the Centre, imposed Hindi and English on students from various states whose mother tongues were different, Shah said at CNN-News18’s Rising Bharat Summit 2025
Union home minister Amit Shah at the Rising Bharat Summit 2025. (Photo: News18)
Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said he has always spoken in favour of Indian languages and mother tongues, not just Hindi. He then remarked, “What can I do if someone’s mother tongue is not from India?” His comment at CNN-News18’s Rising Bharat Summit 2025 is being seen as an apparent dig at Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
“For all these years before we came to power, I believe the Congress imposed Hindi and English on students from various states whose mother tongues were different,” Shah said.
The senior BJP leader’s comments come amid a tussle between the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government over the implementation of the new National Education Policy and the three-language formula proposed under it. The ruling DMK has been accusing the BJP-led union government of “imposing” Hindi on the southern state through the NEP, a charge denied by the latter.
Congress Lok Sabha MP Karti Chidambaram too said last month that Tamil Nadu does not need a compulsory third language and that the state is “well-served” by its existing two-language curriculum.
