New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday emphasised that Hindi is not in opposition to any Indian language but stands as a friend to all. Speaking at the golden jubilee celebrations of the Central Government’s Official Language Department, he also stated that there should be no opposition to any foreign language in the country.
Shah urged all state governments to take proactive steps towards imparting medical and engineering education in regional languages, assuring that the Centre would extend full support in conducting administrative work in Indian languages.
"I sincerely believe that Hindi can't be opposed to any Indian language. Hindi is a friend of all Indian languages," he said. He further asserted that Hindi, along with other Indian languages, can collectively carry forward the cultural pride and self-esteem of the nation to greater heights.
Calling for a shift away from what he termed a “mentality of slavery,” the Home Minister said that true liberation from colonial thinking would only come when individuals feel pride in, and express themselves through, their native language. “There is no opposition to any language. There should not be any opposition to any foreign language. But there should be an urge to glorify one's own language, to speak it, and to think in it,” he said.
Shah stressed that language in India is not merely a tool for communication but represents the very soul of the nation. He highlighted the importance of preserving and enriching Indian languages and called for sustained efforts to promote them, especially the official language Hindi.
He extended his greetings to all those who support the official language and Indian languages in general, congratulating them on the department’s golden jubilee year. Reflecting on the journey of the Official Language Department from 1975 to 2025, Shah expressed confidence that when India celebrates the centenary of its Independence in 2047, the role of the official language would be written in golden letters in the history of the nation’s cultural renaissance.
With PTI inputs