Allow regional languages at Centre for official use: DMK

DMK today demanded use of regional languages at the Centre for official purpose to maintain unity in diversity and warned against "imposing" any language on any state.

Moving a private member's bill in the Rajya Sabha to amend the Official Languages Act, Tiruchi Siva said, "Earlier, we were against Hindi language. Now time has matured. Let Hindi be at its place, let our language (Tamil) also be elevated to that level."

The existing law must be amended to consider all regional languages including Tamil to be used at Centre for all official purposes, he said.

The amendment would help maintain unity in diversity and will curb unhealthy sentiment against any languages, he said.

Siva asserted that all regional languages are national languages an hence the status accorded to Hindi should also be given to 22 regional languages.

He said the UPA-I government has already declared Tamil as classical language but it has not yet fulfilled the promise it had made in its 2004 election manifesto to recognise regional languages for official use.

Stating that the Constitution of India allows states to use more than two languages for official purpose, Siva questioned, "When states can have more than two languages, why cannot it be at the Centre?"

Kanimozhi (DMK) disfavoured "imposing" any language on any state while referring to the anti-Hindi agitation in Tamil Nadu, saying "if any language is imposed on us, we will never allow that to happen".

Referring to well-known Tamilians including P Chidambaram who occupy high positions in society, she wondered as to why there is a compulsion to speak Hindi.

She also regretted the fact that even while speaking in regional language in Parliament, one has to bring it to notice of the House. "I want to see a day when all the members can understand the language. There should be simultaneous translations available," she said.

V P Singh Badnore (BJP) said it would be difficult to communicate if many languages are used for official purpose.

Ram Chandra Khuntia (Cong) vowed to fight for "classical" status to Odiya language.
Ram Gopal Yadav (SP) rued the importance given to English language in official communications and suggested that along with Hindi, state languages should be used.

Bharatkumar Raut (SS) narrated his own experience at the time of applying for a passport in his name.

Raut, who hails from Maharashtra, said he had to bring his birth certificate, originally in Marathi, translated into English and duly attested by a Gazetted Officer for submitting the form.

Raghunandan Sharma (BJP) said Indian Parliament often looks like the British one as members speak in English, but the same member speaks in his own regional language when he seeks votes.

P Kannan (Cong) favoured use of regional languages in states to the maximum extent possible, but at the same time, he was not in favour of ignoring English as the language is spoken across the world.