<p>So the Delhi police have described Bengali as a Bangladeshi language. Haan ji. Who would imagine the politics of language would acquire so many unexpected colours? By their reckoning, our national anthem is the work of a poet who wrote in a foreign language called Bangladeshi. </p><p>With this attitude towards all languages other than Hindi, the hyper nationalists may have handed the next elections to Didi on a platter, analysts are saying. The day may not be far when the police up north say Kannada is a Canadian language and Malayalam a Malaysian one. That fervent prayer is more relevant today than ever before. ‘Sub ko sanmati de Bhagwan’— ‘Dear God, grant good sense to the sub-inspector!’</p>
<p>So the Delhi police have described Bengali as a Bangladeshi language. Haan ji. Who would imagine the politics of language would acquire so many unexpected colours? By their reckoning, our national anthem is the work of a poet who wrote in a foreign language called Bangladeshi. </p><p>With this attitude towards all languages other than Hindi, the hyper nationalists may have handed the next elections to Didi on a platter, analysts are saying. The day may not be far when the police up north say Kannada is a Canadian language and Malayalam a Malaysian one. That fervent prayer is more relevant today than ever before. ‘Sub ko sanmati de Bhagwan’— ‘Dear God, grant good sense to the sub-inspector!’</p>
