- People closely following the emergence of politics in India would not be surprised by the alacrity shown by some of the regional leaders in embracing the tricky issue of language chauvinism, attempting to whip up emotions from the local populace. Of course, India is such a diverse country vis-à-vis language, tradition, culture, ethnicity, caste, creed, and social standing that every region is beset with challenges galore. Our political leadership, irrespective of party affiliations, will not let go of any opportunity to further consolidate their assiduously built vote banks either. The easiest and most efficient way to garner some brownie points is to whip up regional identity on the back of the pride of language. Hence, the clamour for identity politics takes centre stage.
PC: News Arena
- The latest on the language chauvinism is emanating from Maharashtra as a political strategy for the BMC polls. Disconcertingly, this can create dangerous social divisions, which none of the political leaders are loath to care about. Mind you, there’s constructive politics, which concerns itself with the lot of the people, and there’s cynical politics, which only serves the interests of its conductors. By those measures, it’s hard to fit Maharashtra’s ongoing language row into a constructive politics mould. While there might have been a case for not burdening little schoolchildren with a third language, Hindi, and charges of Hindi imposition may have resonated in the state, they ceased to be an issue when the Maharashtra government withdrew the order.
PC: Mint
- The three-language order was withdrawn under intense opposition last month. The Thackeray cousins saw an opportunity to give a fillip to their sagging political heft and jumped into the language bandwagon. However, by targeting Hindi speakers in and around Mumbai, they’re letting a genie out of the bottle that’s never easy to lure back inside. By what stretch of ideology does the debate over teaching Hindi in Maharashtra’s primary schools justify the slapping of a non-Marathi-speaking mithai shop owner and his employee? What purpose does such hooliganism serve? Language chauvinism coming to the fore for parochial considerations must be termed nothing but cheap politics. Does it even have a space in the present-day aspirational world of India? No.
PC: Deccan Herald
- The mostly rejected party of MNS embracing the outsider-insider narrative yet again serves little purpose. The rejected party’s rejected ideology will only harm whatever little prospects it may still be left with. With municipal polls due across the state, other politicians may also try to target Hindi speakers. Meanwhile, the BJP’s Jharkhand MP has dared Sainiks of all colours to visit Bihar, UP, and TN for a taste of their own medicine. None of this is constructive. A toxic discourse doesn’t serve voters anywhere. It doesn’t solve Mumbai’s civic issues, nor does it improve the learning outcomes of Maharashtra’s children. Maharashtra prides itself on being one of India’s biggest engines of growth. It’s aiming to be a $1tn economy. Divisive, cynical politics will not help.
