Strongly criticizing the Union government decision to impose Hindi in schools and other spheres, Sri Provash Ghosh, General Secretary, SUCI (Communist) has issued the following statement on 20 April 2017:
We strongly criticize the latest decision of the Government of India to accept the recommendation of the Parliamentary Committee for making Hindi compulsory up to Class X in all Central and CBSE schools, which decision has reportedly been asked also in a Presidential order dated 31 March issued to the HRD ministry. What is further pernicious in the move is that it is being done with the intention of making Hindi practically compulsory to different other spheres of governmental and social activities, including higher education, in preparing materials for preparation for Civil Services examinations, in brochures and journals, even tickets of airlines or in addressing the parliament by the MPs, even the President.
We have been consistently maintaining that in a multilingual country like ours, no language can flourish through imposition as the process of learning a language is a voluntary one. There should be a two-language formula, namely of learning mother tongue and English throughout the entire period of education , as that serves best the cause of genuine education.
The present decision, running contrary to this policy on language is an attempt to countrywide impose a particular language is fraught with the grave danger of sowing the seeds of the worst forms of dissension and division in the country. It can never be glossed over that language being a sensitive element; such a move towards imposition would bring in its wake mistrust and disunity, seriously hurting the sentiments of the affected people. It would also give rise to linguistic chauvinism only to add fuel to the fires of divisive sentiments already weakening unity of people.
In such a situation we strongly demand of the government, including the President of India, to immediately withdraw this disastrous decision of making Hindi compulsory in Central and CBSE schools and at other levels of social and governmental activities, and maintain the existing arrangements.
