The imposition of Hindi on regional language-speaking states would hamper the implementation of central government welfare programmes, Mandya Lok Sabha MP Sumalatha said on Saturday.
Raising the issue of 'imposition' of Hindi during the Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha, she said that several central government office employees, including bank employees, working in Karnataka didn't know the regional language. The citizens who know only Kannada were hence facing difficulties in such situations.
This will certainly deprive the common man of the benefit of welfare schemes, she said.
"Though I am not against Hindi, the imposition of Hindi on regional languages should be opposed," she said.
"Kannada is an ancient language and the central government had granted the classical status to it. Undermining our language by imposing Hindi would hurt the people's sentiment," she said.
She also urged the Centre to give equal importance to Kannada on the lines of Hindi.
Opposing the 3-languages policy of the central government, she said the sole purpose of this policy seemed to be the imposition of Hindi on regional language-speaking states, which was not acceptable.
The central government must follow the unity in diversity principle, she said.
(Published 19 September 2020, 14:03 IST)
JOIN US