Shah, other BJP leaders speak against English but their children study in English medium schools: Rahul Gandhi

'If you want to speak to people from the rest of the world, Hindi will not work'

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other BJP leaders on Monday for "speaking against English", saying they oppose the use of English as a teaching medium in schools but their children study in such schools.

Lauding the Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan for opening 1,700 English medium schools and recruiting 10,000 English teachers, Gandhi said studying Hindi and other Indian languages is important but in order to talk to the world, Hindi will not be useful and command over English will be required.

"Leaders opposed to us, those in the BJP, wherever they go, they talk against English. They say there should be no English in schools. There should be Bengali and Hindi, but no English," he said.

Gandhi urged people to ask these leaders where their children study.

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"From Amit Shah to their chief ministers, MPs, MLAs -- their children go to English medium schools and they give speeches that no one should speak in English," he said.

The former Congress chief alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders do not want the children of poor farmers and labourers to learn English because they do not want them to dream big.

"What they want is that you do not get out of performing labour, from your farms -- that is why they say do not learn English," he said.

"I am not saying do not study Hindi. You must study Hindi, Tamil and all Indian languages, but if you want to talk to the world, be it those from America, Japan or England, then Hindi will not be useful, English will work there. We want the poorest of poor farmers to go to America and outdo the children there in competition in their language," Gandhi said.

This is the vision of the Congress, he said, noting that the Rajasthan government has opened 1,700 English medium schools and recruited 10,000 English teachers.

"Ashok Gehlotji, this is less as every child in Rajasthan must have the opportunity to learn English. Every child must feel that he can speak in his mother tongue and also speak with the entire world. He or she must feel that they can go and hoist the national flag abroad," Gandhi said.