
Amit Shah says English speakers will ‘soon feel ashamed' in India
Those who speak English in India will soon feel ashamed and the creation of 'such a society is not far away', Union Minister Amit Shah can be heard saying in a video shared by news channels on Thursday.
The Bharatiya Janata Party leader also claimed that 'our culture, our history and our religion cannot be understood in foreign languages'.
'A complete India cannot be imagined with aadhi-adhuri [incomplete] foreign languages, that can only happen with Indianness, with Indian languages,' Shah reportedly said at a book launch event in New Delhi.
He also called Indian languages 'jewels of our culture', adding that without them, 'we cease to be Indians'.
On June 6, Shah launched the Bharatiya Bhasha Anubhag, or Indian Languages Section. This initiative aims to create an organised platform for all Indian languages, intending to 'free the administration from the influence of foreign languages'.
The home minister's comments on Thursday come against the backdrop of several state governments and regional parties accusing the Centre of imposing Hindi through the National Education Policy's three-language formula.
On Tuesday, the Maharashtra government issued an order making Hindi a 'generally' taught third language for students from Class 1 to Class 5 in Marathi and English medium schools.
Marathi language advocates criticised the move, accusing the government of reintroducing the three-language formula through the 'backdoor'.
Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have also seen protests against the alleged Hindi imposition.
Tamil Nadu has repeatedly opposed the three-language formula in the National Education Policy. The state government said it would not change its decades-old two-language policy of teaching students Tamil and English.
However, the Union government has maintained that it is committed to promoting ' all Indian languages ', The Hindu reported. During the Budget session, Shah had told the Rajya Sabha that his ministry would communicate with states in their respective languages, the newspaper reported.
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'What is in the hearts of the people of Maharashtra – that will happen.' The next day, the Sena (UBT)'s mouthpiece too published an archived photo of the two cousins on its front page – a rare symbolic move not seen in the past 20 years. Posters put up in Mumbai, Thane and other parts of the state called for a united Thackeray front 'to save the Marathi manoos from outsiders.' The Sena (UBT) poured symbolism and sentiment into its campaign, reviving old photos, invoking Marathi unity, and publicly expressing a willingness to sacrifice ego for the state. But the response from the MNS leadership in the past two months has remained cautious, and sometimes even dismissive. Raj has mostly remained behind the scenes, holding internal meetings and saying little directly to the media. He has not even commented publicly since his April 19 appearance on a podcast with filmmaker Mahesh Manjrekar, where he said, 'The interest of Maharashtra is bigger than personal disagreements.' This was immediately followed up by Uddhav who, without naming his cousin, said, 'If necessary, we are ready to come together for Maharashtra, for Marathi people and the Marathi language.' What followed was a string of coordinated messaging from the Sena (UBT) leadership and workers urging the two brothers to come together, including by Raut who said on April 22 that Uddhav was 'very positive' on the idea of a tie-up. Even Aaditya Thackeray echoed this approach, stating multiple times throughout May that anyone with 'clean intentions' for Maharashtra and opposing 'anti-Maharashtra BJP' forces was welcome. Behind the Sena (UBT)'s constant outreach is its desire to prevent a fragmentation of the Marathi vote, now split three ways among Sena (UBT), Deputy CM Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and MNS, with the BJP well-positioned to gain from this in the elections for the BMC, historically considered a Sena bastion. A united Thackeray front could have consolidated the Marathi voter across at least 10 major urban bodies. Now, the BJP-Shinde combine enters the contest facing a divided Opposition, with the MNS likely to be either a tactical ally or a disruptive wildcard. The MNS, however, has maintained distance, often dismissing the idea of an alliance, immediately after Raj's statement. On April 20, MNS leader and Mumbai party chief Sandeep Deshpande clarified that issue-based unity differs from electoral tie-ups, saying, 'Marathis can also come together for issues of interest to Maharashtra' and that alliance for elections is a 'narrow-minded idea'. The message was clear: unity on issues, not necessarily seats and polls. Three days later, he said the Sena (UBT) would have to make a formal proposal if it wanted an alliance. Past overtures by the MNS were met with 'betrayal', he added. 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