RSS says all Indian languages are national languages amid Hindi imposition debate

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) recently made it clear that it does not support imposing any one language and views all languages as national languages. This statement came amid ongoing debates over language policies in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.

Around the 'three-language formula' from the New Education Policy (NEP), this controversy revolves, which critics say is a way for the central government to push Hindi. In Maharashtra, strong opposition forced the government to withdraw two resolutions about implementing this policy, with many fearing it would undermine Marathi.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis assured people that the government isn’t against Hindi or any other language. He also accused former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray of backing out on the policy, pointing out that a committee during Thackeray’s time had actually recommended making Hindi mandatory in schools.

After scrapping the policy, Maharashtra declared October 3 as Abhijat Marathi Bhasha Diwas (Classical Marathi Language Day) to honor Marathi’s status as a classical language, hoping to encourage more pride and study of the language.

In Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister MK Stalin criticized the BJP, saying they suffered another defeat in their attempts to impose Hindi. He praised Uddhav and Raj Thackeray for their successful efforts against the language policy. Stalin called Uddhav Thackeray his “brother” and noted how the DMK’s fight to protect regional languages has gained support beyond just Tamil Nadu.