Uttar Pradesh minister and chief of Nishad Party Sanjay Nishad labelled those who don't love Hindi as 'foreigners', asking them to leave the country, drawing flak from Opposition parties and adding to the raging language row across India.
"Those who want to live in India will have to love Hindi. If you do not love Hindi, it will be assumed that you are a foreigner or are linked to foreign powers. We respect regional languages but this country is one, and India’s Constitution says that India is ‘Hindustan’ which means a place for Hindi speakers," Nishad told reporters.
'Hindustan', the minister added, is not a place for those who do not speak Hindi. "They should leave this country and go somewhere else."
The minister also said that Hindi is the national language by law and anyone who breaks the law should be jailed, even if the person is a big politician.
Samajwadi Party's Abdul Hafiz Ghani hit back at Nishad and said, "I love Hindi, it is my mother tongue. But I also respect people who love their own mother tongue. The idea is all about tolerance."
Uttar Pradesh BJP agreed with Nishad on Hindi's status as the national language, but distanced itself from the second part of his statement. "The minister's statement that people who do not know Hindi should leave the country is wrong. India is a multilingual country," state unit spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi is quoted as saying in a report.
Check out DH's latest videos
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels| Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks