BJP relents as parties slam push for Hindi

New Delhi: In a bid to douse the raging controversy over its two circulars, the Modi government on Friday said the use of Hindi in the social media is only for states speaking the language and is not being imposed on non-Hindi-speaking states.

The move to defuse the controversy came only after PM Narendra Modi’s  intervention, as he asked minister of state in the MHA Kiren Rijiju to  issue a clarification on the subject.
Speaking to the media, Mr Rijiju, who holds charge of the department of official language in the MHA, hit back at the Opposition, saying the controversy over promotion of Hindi on the social media platform was “wrong and unwarranted.”

“It was a circular meant for Hindi-speaking states. The government is clear not to impose Hindi on non-Hindi-speaking states. A wrong and unwarranted controversy is being generated as there was no directive to impose Hindi,” Mr Rijiju said.

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The comments from the Union minister came after parties in Tamil Nadu, including the AIADMK, the DMK and the CPM opposed it and the Congress advised caution on the issue. Even BJP’s allies, the PMK and the MDMK, opposed the move. Jammu and Kashmir CM said, “We have Urdu and English as official languages. So Hindi can’t be forced.”

Tamil Nadu CM J. Jayalalithaa, in a letter to the Prime Minister, termed the move as “against the letter and spirit” of the Official Languages Act, 1963  and said the “highly sensitive issue” caused “disquiet” to the people of Tamil Nadu.

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