The Centre’s decision to make Hindi a compulsory language in schools across eight northeastern states has enraged a number of regional organisations.
Home Minister Amit Shah described Hindi as “India’s language,” and said it would be made a requirement in the region’s schools up to Class 10. He also stated that 22,000 teachers have been hired in the northeastern states to teach Hindi. “As an optional subject, we have no objections, but this is an imposition.”
We oppose this action because it is an imposition. Apart from the local tongue, Hindi can be an optional subject, according to Samuel B. Jyrwa, chairperson of the North East Students’ Organisation. He said, “We will approach all of the State governments in the region to ask them not to make Hindi compulsory.”
Ampareen Lyngdoh, a suspended Congress legislator in Meghalaya, stated that Hindi cannot be imposed on the Khasi and Garo-speaking states. “The Constitution’s Sixth Schedule protects us from any kind of imposition,” she explained.
Mizo opposing Hindi
The influential Young Mizo Association in Mizoram said it would hold a meeting soon and submit a memorandum opposing the Centre’s decision. Tluangtea, the association’s general secretary, told The Hindu, “This needs serious discussion.” The Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti in Assam has called the move “anti-democracy, anti-Constitution, and against the country’s federal structure.”
“Since 2016, the BJP-led government has taken anti-Assamese decisions, including the removal of the Assamese paper from the Assam Public Service Commission exams and now the imposition of Hindi in schools. Instead, the government should make Assamese compulsory in the state, according to the Samiti.
If the State government is unable to resist the imposition of Hindi, the Samiti suggests that the 22,000 Hindi teachers hired be locals rather than from the Hindi belt.
Regional political parties such as Raijor Dal and Assam Jatiya Parishad have criticised the Centre’s move, claiming that it is an attempt to give Hindi-speakers an economic, academic, and administrative advantage in the long run, allowing them to control non-Hindi-speaking areas of the country.