India’s Linguistic Battle: A Threat to Unity?
The Narendra Modi government’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 has reignited India’s long-standing language tensions. The policy enforces a three-language formula in schools, widely seen as an attempt to expand Hindi’s influence—aligning with the BJP’s ideological vision.
Approved by the Union Cabinet on July 29, 2020, NEP 2020 aims to reform India’s education system, replacing the 1986 National Policy on Education. With decades passing since the last major policy change, reforms were inevitable. However, the three-language formula has met strong resistance, especially from southern states, which take great pride in their linguistic heritage and have long opposed Hindi imposition. The controversy has deepened as the central government prioritizes funding for states that implement the policy.
Tamil Nadu, known for its strong linguistic identity and opposition to Hindi imposition, has led the resistance. The state government’s formal rejection of the policy has escalated the debate. Online protests and social media campaigns continue to amplify tensions, occasionally sparking concerns about national unity.
The Land of Linguistic Diversity
India, a nation of extraordinary linguistic diversity, ranks second only to Papua New Guinea in the number of languages spoken within its borders—780, according to the People’s Linguistic Survey of India. This multiplicity of tongues has long been both a source of cultural richness and a point of contention. Unlike many nations, including its erstwhile twin, Pakistan, India did not designate a single national language. Instead, its framers took a characteristically intricate approach: they recognized Hindi—the country’s most widely spoken language—and English for official purposes but refrained from declaring any language as the national language. This decision was not merely an effort to avoid conflict but a conscious attempt to hold together a vast and diverse republic, fostering a sense of inclusivity.
Article 343 of the Indian Constitution declares Hindi in the Devanagari script as the official language of the Union, with English permitted for official use for 15 years after independence. The inclusion of English as an official language was met with strong opposition, as many viewed it as a colonial vestige. However, the Official Languages Act of 1963 extended the use of English indefinitely, unless modified by future legislation. The original 15-year timeframe was intended to allow Hindi to gradually replace English as the sole official language, but this vision never materialized due to staunch resistance, particularly from the southern states.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has ramped up efforts to make Hindi the country’s primary link language. The BJP has placed the National Education Policy (NEP) at the center of this linguistic push, presenting it as a vehicle for national cohesion. By introducing Hindi instruction in non-Hindi-speaking states, the NEP’s three-language formula has revived old tensions, drawing fierce resistance from regions that see the policy as yet another attempt to impose linguistic uniformity on a country that has long resisted it.
Why Hindi?
With an estimated 600 million speakers, Hindi dominates northern India and ranks as the world’s third most spoken language. Yet, it remains a minority within India, where non-Hindi speakers outnumber those who speak it. The 2011 Census shows that only 43.63% of Indians identify Hindi as their first language. Despite this, Hindi’s numerical strength gives it a significant advantage. Even without including its dialects and closely related languages, no other Indian language comes close in terms of speakers. The political influence of Hindi-speaking regions is particularly strong in the Indian capital, Delhi, and in populous states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, which send a large number of assembly members to the legislature.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), rooted in Hindu nationalist ideology, has consistently pushed for Hindi as a pillar of its vision for national unification. For centuries, Hindi, a Sanskritized version of Hindustani, has dominated northern India, and the BJP sees its promotion as a way to reinforce national identity. By advancing Hindi, the party aligns with its broader cultural and political objectives.
Tamil Nadu’s Resistance to Hindi
Tamil Nadu, one of India’s most economically and culturally vibrant states, has expressed the strongest opposition to the new education policy, reigniting a fresh political dispute. For the people of Tamil Nadu, their language is deeply intertwined with their identity, and their politics often diverge sharply from the rest of the country, sometimes even challenging national unity in the name of Tamil nationalism.
The ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), known for its strong Tamil identity politics, has seized this issue to counter the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has been trying to establish a foothold in the state’s political landscape. Tamil, with its centuries-old literary heritage and one of the world’s richest linguistic traditions, is neither endangered nor under threat. However, many in Tamil Nadu fear that mandating Hindi education will gradually detach future generations from their Tamil roots—similar to how several northern Indian languages lost prominence after adopting Hindi-centric education policies.
Beyond the cultural debate, the DMK also sees a political challenge: it fears that the promotion of Hindi could pave the way for national parties like the BJP to gain influence in Tamil Nadu, posing an existential threat to the state’s distinct political landscape.
Future of the Language Rift?
The National Education Policy (NEP) has sparked strong opposition, particularly in Tamil Nadu, while other major states, despite some resistance, have largely accepted it. However, if the central government pursues a more assertive language policy, linguistic tensions could spread beyond Tamil Nadu to other regions. Many in the South fiercely oppose any imposition of Hindi on their linguistic identity. At the same time, the aggressive enforcement of regional languages in southern states has, at times, fueled resentment toward Hindi speakers, further straining national unity.
Political analysts argue that India’s constitutional commitment to multilingualism has been essential in preventing fragmentation. They warn that imposing a single language could have far-reaching consequences—not only for the country’s political landscape but for its very unity. India is not a monolithic nation bound by a single language, ethnicity, or religion; rather, it is a diverse federation held together by the principles enshrined in its Constitution.
