Key Points
- TV Mohandas Pai opposed the excessive use of Hindi in the Centre’s official communication.
- He believes citizens should be able to respond in their native languages or English, not just Hindi.
- Kerala MP John Brittas criticized the Centre for sending Hindi-only communications to southern MPs.
- The 1963 Official Languages Act allows both Hindi and English for official purposes, but also permits regional languages when communicating with states that don’t use Hindi.
Looma News
TV Mohandas Pai, a former Infosys board member, strongly opposed the Centre’s growing use of Hindi for official communication with states that don’t primarily speak the language. Pai argued that people should be able to reply in their native languages or in English, rather than being forced to respond only in Hindi. He called the increasing use of Hindi in government communications both “wrong and worrisome.” “I know Hindi, but I don’t think the government should force me to reply only in Hindi,” Pai said. He stressed that people should be able to communicate in their own languages.
Kerala CPI(M) MP John Brittas also raised concerns, saying the government’s shift to sending Hindi-only letters was a deliberate move. Brittas, responding to a Hindi letter from Union Minister Ravneet Bittu, said he felt the need to reply in Malayalam. He pointed out that, in the past, it was common for letters from the Union government to be written in English, especially when addressing MPs from southern states. “The repeated Hindi-only replies suggest a deliberate policy,” Brittas wrote on social media, sharing letters he had received.
The debate involves the Official Languages Act of 1963, which allows both Hindi and English for official purposes. It also permits regional languages to be used for communication with states that don’t use Hindi, adding to the complexity of the issue.
