Thiruvananthapuram, June 20: Kerala Ministers R Bindu and V Sivankutty on Friday criticised Union Minister Amit Shah’s recent reported remarks against the English language, claiming that they indicate a “restrictive and narrow-minded” political view and are “condemnable”.
Bindu, the State Higher Education Minister, said that English is the most widely used language across the world to communicate with each other and also on the internet.
“The view that children should not learn English or that it will be embarrassing would only lead to their world becoming more restrictive.
“Moreover, India is not an isolated island in the world. So, learning English is becoming a necessity,” she said, answering reporters’ queries regarding Shah’s remarks.
Union Home Minister Shah had reportedly said that soon those speaking English in India would feel ashamed.
Speaking along similar lines as Bindu, State General Education Minister V Sivankutty termed Shah’s remarks as “condemnable” and said that “no language was higher or lower than another”.
“Each language has its own importance. English, as an international language, is an important means of knowledge and communication. It can only help in the progress of the country,” he said in a statement.
Sivankutty said that the Kerala government was committed to promoting all languages and ensuring that students have the freedom to choose the languages they want to study.
“Linguistic diversity is the strength of our country, and it needs to be protected,” he added.
Bindu, while speaking to reporters, said that when giving prominence to the mother tongue, it can be said that Hindi is not the mother tongue of India, as the country is home to a wide variety of languages.
“There are 22 official languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. This diversity of languages in India is a treasure trove,” she said, and added that all of it cannot be reduced to one language.
Bindu said that there were two sides to Union Home Minister Shah’s statement.
“One is that he intends to restrict the world of the younger generation by saying don’t learn English. The other side is the imposition of Hindi.
“All of it indicates a restrictive and narrow-minded political view,” she said. (PTI)
