Congress against Hindi ‘imposition’

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Apr 10: Saying that the Central Government’s decision to introduce  Hindi as a compulsory subject from Classes I to X in schools across the eight States of the North East including Manipur is an attempt of BJP to suppress the culture and traditions of indigenous peoples, Congress party has expressed strong objection against the Central Government’s initiative.
Speaking to media persons at Rishang Keishing Media Centre, Congress Bhavan here today, MPCC president K Meghachandra said that MPCC would oppose the declaration made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the 37th Parliamentary Official Language Committee meeting held at New Delhi recently that Hindi would be introduced as a compulsory subject from Classes I to X throughout all the North Eastern States.
This policy of the Central Government would be big challenge to the people of Manipur who are numerically quite small, he said.  
Questioning the motive of the new policy to make Hindi a compulsory subject in the North East, the MPCC president asserted that this policy would not only undermine but also abolish the culture, traditions and religious practices of Manipuri people.
Manipuri people have been struggling since many decades back to secure recognition of Manipuri language under the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution and protect their mother language.
Any attack on Manipuri culture and language when the people of Manipur have been working to adopt Manipuri language as a subject from Class I to the level of Masters would be assumed as cultural terrorism, Meghachandra said.
Maintaining that the attempt to annihilate Manipuri Nation is rather unfortunate, the MPCC president asserted that introduction of Hindi as a compulsory subject till Class X would prove to be a serious blow to the indigenous language and cultural practices of the State.
All the people of Manipur are free to follow religions of their own choice and speak their own languages, he said.
The decision to impose Hindi is an attempt of BJP to annihilate Manipuri Nation, he said.
He went on to question BJP’s motive of making Hindi compulsory in the North Eastern States while sparing the big Southern States from the same onslaught.
Meghachandra claimed that BJP has launched an offensive to destroy the culture and traditions of Manipur.
He further asked what is the meaning of recognising Manipuri language under the 8th Schedule of Indian Constitution if Hindi should be made a compulsory subject in the State.
Congress party will never allow imposition of Hindi as a compulsory subject in the State, the MPCC president asserted while exuding confidence that the State’s CSOs and political parties will support the Congress party’s stand.