Amit Shah says he loves Hindi more than Gujarati

Inaugurating the Akhil Bhartiya Rajbhasha Sammelan in Varanasi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that he loves Hindi language more than Gujarati.

"We need to strengthen our 'Rajbhasha'," he said.

Shah added that a country that cannot preserve its languages, cannot preserve its culture and organic thought process either. Thus, he said, it is very important for everyone to preserve and nurture India's all languages.

"Hindi is the friend (sakhee) of all indigenous languages (swabhasha). India’s prosperity lies in the prosperity of our Indian languages," he said.

The home minister said a sense of inferiority complex was instilled in the minds of some children who couldn't speak English. Shah said it is his firm belief that the time is not far when those who cannot speak their mother tongue will feel inferiority complex.

The home minister said once the people of the country decide and its languages become the language of the governance, India will automatically get back the knowledge trove of Maharishi Patanjali and Panini.

He said there is a need to rid youths of the inferiority complex instilled during British rule.

"We need to create an environment wherein people take pride in speaking their mother tongue," he said.

The home minister also said efforts were made to create a lot of controversies around the Hindi language but that time is over now.

Shah also lauded Prime Minister Modi for promoting Hindi across the world.

"No Prime Minister has got so much of global accolades as much as Narendra Modi ji. He has put forth India's point of view in the world in Raj Bhasha (Hindi) and has enhanced the pride of the Raj Bhasha," he said.

(With PTI inputs)