"Wants to divide the country": Nishikant Dubey hits out at Rahul Gandhi over his allegations on Centre related to English language

Deoghar (Jharkhand) [India], June 21 (ANI): BJP MP Nishikant Dubey criticised Rahul Gandhi's allegations on the Union Government of imposing Hindi and refusal to learn English, stating that people raising such issues want to 'divide' countries.
Nishikant Dubey mentioned that every language, including Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, and others, is essential for the Indian government.
He explained that the government wants to progress with all the regional languages and mentioned that Hindi and English are both 'connecting' languages in it.
'We do not want to impose any language, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, Santhali are also important for us. We want to progress with all the regional Indian languages and Hindi and English are also connecting languages. Whoever wants to take up these things Nishikant Dubey mentioned that every language, including Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, and others, is essential for the Indian government. ', Nishikant Dubey told ANI.
On Friday, Rahul Gandhi shared an 'X' post favouring the English language, stating that it is not 'shame' but 'power' and helps provide employment and boosts confidence.
He alleged that the BJP and RSS do not want the poor children to learn English as they do not want the empowerment of these children.
He said that every language of India has soul, culture, knowledge, which shall be cherished but at the same time, English language should be learnt by every child.
'It is not an English dam, it is a bridge. English is not shame, it is power. English is not a chain - it is a tool to break the chains. BJP-RSS don't want poor kids of India to learn English - because they don't want you to ask questions, move ahead, and become equal. In today's world, English is as important as your mother tongue - because it will provide employment and boost your confidence. Every language of India has soul, culture, knowledge. We have to cherish them - and at the same time teach English to every child. This is the path to an India that competes with the world, that gives every child an equal opportunity', the 'X' post read. (ANI)

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Time of India

32 minutes ago

• Time of India

Agriculture self-reliance: Govt says oilseeds and pulses output growing faster; MPs raise alarm over costly edible oil imports

The government has told a parliamentary committee that domestic production of pulses and edible oils has risen at a greater pace in the last 10 years compared to the previous decade, even as several MPs voiced concern over the country's continued dependence on imports to meet demand. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In a presentation to the Standing Committee on Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Food Processing, the agriculture ministry said imports accounted for 15.66 million metric tonnes (MMT), or 56 per cent, of the total domestic demand for edible oils in 2023-24. Sources said the ministry, during the committee meeting held on June 20, emphasised the ongoing efforts to achieve self-sufficiency, PTI reported. It noted that oilseeds production rose by 55 per cent between 2014-15 and 2024-25, with the third advance estimate pegging production at 426.09 lakh tonnes in the last fiscal. In contrast, the growth in oilseeds output was only 13 per cent in the 2004-05 to 2014-15 period. MPs also expressed concerns over public health, particularly in connection with India's high dependence on imported palm oil, which is relatively cheaper. Some members flagged possible health hazards associated with palm oil consumption. The ministry said the country's dependence on edible oil imports is costing more than Rs 80,000 crore annually. Based on the data presented for 2023-24, India's domestic production was adequate to meet the demand for mustard and groundnut oils. However, the country had to import 3.49 MMT of sunflower oil against a domestic consumption of 3.55 MMT and imported more than 60 per cent of its soybean oil needs. On pulses, the ministry said their production rose by 47 per cent between 2014-15 and 2024-25—a period when the BJP-led NDA was in power—compared to a 31 per cent increase in the decade before, under the Congress-led UPA government. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Some MPs suggested incentivising farmers who traditionally grow paddy and wheat to shift towards pulses and oilseeds. The ministry also elaborated on the government's roadmap to achieve 'aatmanirbharta' or self-reliance in pulses and oilseeds by 2030-31. These plans were detailed in the Union Budget earlier this year. Among the challenges flagged by the ministry was that 75 per cent of pulse crops are rainfed and grown on marginal lands with low fertility by small and marginal farmers. The sources added that the presentation also covered the government's national campaign to promote 'optimal utilization of edible oils and its health benefits' in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for a 10 per cent reduction in their intake to boost overall fitness.

The Hindu

32 minutes ago

• The Hindu

Sharing video footage of polling station breaches voters' privacy: EC officials

Amid demands to make public webcasting footage of polling stations, Election Commission officials on Saturday (June 21, 2025) said such a move is violative of privacy and security concerns of voters. They said that while such demand suits their narrative in making it sound quite genuine and in the interest of voters and safeguarding the democratic process, it is, in fact, aimed at achieving exactly the "opposite objective". Also Read | 'Match is fixed': Rahul Gandhi alleges Election Commission 'deleting evidence' instead of giving answers Officials claimed that what is veiled as a very logical demand is actually "entirely contrary" to the privacy and security concerns of voters, the legal position laid down in the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and 1951 and the directions of the Supreme Court. Sharing the footage, which would enable easy identification of the electors by any group or an individual, would leave both the elector who has voted as well as the elector who has not voted vulnerable to pressure, discrimination and intimidation by anti-social elements, they asserted. Creating an instance, they said if a particular political party gets the lesser number of votes in a particular booth, it would easily be able to identify, through the CCTV footage, which elector has voted and which elector has not, and, thereafter, may harass or intimidate them. To be sure, the Election Commission retains the CCTV footage, which is purely an internal management tool and not a mandatory requirement, for a period of 45 days which aligns with the period laid down for filing an election petition. Since no election can be challenged beyond 45 days of the declaration of the result, retaining the footage beyond this period makes it susceptible to misuse of the content by non-contestants for spreading misinformation and malicious narratives, the officials underlined. They noted that in case an election petition is filed within 45 days, the CCTV footage is not destroyed and also made available to the competent court when asked for. Maintaining privacy and secrecy of the elector is non-negotiable for the EC and it has never compromised on this essential tenet laid down in the law as well upheld by the Supreme Court, the functionaries said. Fearing the use of its electronic data to create "malicious narratives", the Election Commission has instructed its state poll officers to destroy CCTV cameras, webcasting and video footage of the election process after 45 days, if the verdict is not challenged in courts within that period. The remarks come in the backdrop of a demand by the Congress and other opposition parties to release post-5 pm CCTV footage from polling booths in the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections. In December last year, the government tweaked an election rule to prevent public inspection of certain electronic documents such as CCTV cameras and webcasting footage as well as video recordings of candidates to prevent their misuse. Based on the recommendation of the EC, the Union law ministry amended Rule 93 of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, to restrict the type of papers or documents open to public inspection. In a letter to state chief electoral officers on May 30, the EC said it has issued instructions for recording various stages of the election process through multiple recording devices -- photography, videography, CCTV and webcasting during the election process. While electoral laws do not mandate such recordings, the Commission uses them as an internal management tool during various stages of the electoral process. "However, the recent misuse of this content by non-contestants for spreading misinformation and malicious narratives on social media by selective and out-of-context use of such content, which will not lead to any legal outcome, has prompted a review," it said.

New Indian Express

33 minutes ago

• New Indian Express

People will give punishment to DMK in 2026 assembly elections: AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami

COIMBATORE: AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Saturday said that people of the State will give punishment to the DMK in the upcoming 2026 election through the poll results. 'We have already condemned the DMK minister and DMK functionaries for their abusive speech. As far as the DMK is concerned, there is a commotion among the people of Tamil Nadu as the anti-people regime is in progress. To hide it, DMK functionaries are in the habit of spreading abusive messages and speech in public meetings and social media handles, and for this, the people of the state will give punishment to the DMK in the 2026 assembly election results,' said Edappadi K Palaniswami while addressing the media. Responding to the Union Home Minister Amit Shah's statement that a time would come when those speaking English in the country would 'feel ashamed', Edappadi K Palaniswami said that Amit Shah had just shared his opinion. "Amit Shah shared that on the basis that the people are giving importance to English instead of their mother tongue, and the mother tongue is important for each of them," he said. EPS also said that the former AIADMK minister and Deputy Propaganda secretary K Pandirajan had clearly explained on Keezhadi excavation during AIADMK rule, both before and after the demise of former CM J Jayalalithaa. EPS has also extended his greetings to the organisers (Hindu Munnani) of the Lord Murugan conference being held at Madurai. 'It is a democratic right for an organisation to worship favourite gods and based on that, an organisation is organising a religious conference for Lord Murugan in Madurai,' he said. Speaking about International Yoga Day, EPS said, 'Yoga activity is important for physical and mental health and wellbeing, and I greet Prime Minister Narendra Modi for organising the event.