Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu
Credit: @AndhraPradeshCM via PTI Photo
Guntur: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday said that no language is superior or inferior to another and called upon people across the country to respect each other’s languages.
Addressing the fourth World Telugu Conference here, Naidu asserted that those who study in their mother tongue tend to excel.
"People should respect each other’s languages. No language is greater or lesser than another," the chief minister said, adding that technology does not erode languages but instead helps in their preservation.
While observing that English is necessary, the TDP supremo said forgetting one’s mother tongue amounts to forgetting one’s identity.
Despite the presence of hundreds of languages in the country, Naidu said Telugu, being one of the six classical languages, is a matter of pride.
Noting that nearly 10 crore people speak Telugu, he said representatives from 40 countries have participated in the conference and stressed that children should be taught to love the language.
The chief minister announced that a Telugu university would be established in Rajahmundry in the name of Potti Sriramulu.
Sriramulu was a Gandhian freedom fighter whose 58-day fast unto death in 1952 for a separate state for Telugu-speaking people led to its formation, making him a pivotal figure in the creation of linguistic states in India.