Northeast reacted angrily to Home Minister Amit Shah's call for "one nation, one language", saying Hindi should not be "imposed" on everyone since it was not the national language.
Most of the organisations representing students and literary bodies stressed on first priority for mother tongue along with English in the Northeast, which having over 200 communities, instead of imposing Hindi.
"Hindi is not the national language. Hindi and English are just among the official languages in the country. So Hindi can not be imposed on everyone. We will oppose any move to impose Hindi on us," the North East Students' Organisation (NESO) chairman, Samuel Jyrwa told DH on Saturday.
The students' organisation had recently written a letter to Union Human Resource Development Ministry, opposing the Draft New Educational Policy 2019's thrust on promotion of Hindi across the country.
"We have been demanding that the promotion of the regional languages or our mother tongue should be the first priority, along with English. We are against giving first priority to Hindi and will fight against any such move," Jyrwa said.
Asam Sahitya Sabha, over 100-year-old literary body, said that they were not against learning or promotion of any language but nothing should be imposed above mother tongue.
"Children must be first taught to speak, read and write in mother tongue," Secretary of the literary body, Paramananda Rajbongshi said.
Kamala Kanta Mushahary, the secretary general of Indigenous Tribal Sahitya Sabhas of Assam (ITSSS), a forum of literary bodies of eight communities in Assam, said they are in favour of four-language policy— mother tongue, English and then Hindi or Assamese, in a multi-lingual state like Assam.
"The new education policy wants three language policy (mother tongue, Hindi and English) but four language policy is best for state like Assam. For example, a student belonging to Bodo community can learn Bodo first followed by English and then Hindi or Assamese," he said.
The ITSSA represents Bodo, Karbi, Deuri, Dimasa, Mishing, Rabha, Garo and Tiwa communities.
The All Assam Students' Union said that Amit Shah's call for "one nation, one language" signified the BJP's "dictatorial attitude" towards imposing of what the party thinks is important on everybody.
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