Amit Shah says English speakers in India will soon feel ashamed amid ongoing language debate

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has taken a strong stand amid escalating tensions over language politics, predicting that soon, English speakers in India will feel ashamed. Shah underlined during a book launch that Indian local languages must take precedence over foreign languages since they are fundamental to the country's identity.

He said, “In this country, those who speak English will soon feel ashamed — that day isn’t far off. Our languages are the jewels of our culture. Without them, we stop being truly Indian.” Shah called for a nationwide effort to revive India’s linguistic heritage and predicted that English will be seen worldwide as a symbol of colonial oppression.

“To truly understand our country, culture, history, and religion, no foreign language can do justice. You can’t imagine a complete India through incomplete foreign tongues,” he said.

Acknowledging the challenges ahead, Shah expressed confidence that Indian society will win this fight. “With pride, we will run our country in our own languages and become leaders globally,” he added.

This comes amid a heated language debate, with several southern and opposition-ruled states accusing the Centre of pushing Hindi through the new ‘three-language formula’ in the National Education Policy. Tamil Nadu, in particular, has accused the BJP of using the policy to impose Hindi rather than improve education. West Bengal and others have also criticized the move.

Earlier this year, Shah had announced that from December, his ministry would communicate with states in their native languages, stressing that language divisions have caused enough conflict and should end now.