Linguistic dominance claims: Tripura LoP criticizes Centre for promoting Hindi; Accuses BJP of linguistic imperialism threatening regional identities

Agartala: Tripura Leader of Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury on Saturday accused the Centre of promoting “linguistic dominance” over remarks allegedly made by Union home minister Amit Shah during the eastern, northeastern and northern regional Rajbhasha Sammelan in the state a day earlier.Chaudhury, also CPM state secretary, said the official language department’s mandate to promote Hindi was not in dispute, but any suggestion that languages of the northeast should adopt Devanagari was unacceptable. He said he had served on the parliamentary committee on official languages and argued that linking the development of regional languages to a particular script sends a “disturbing message.”He said the northeast has nearly 40 indigenous languages with distinct histories and cultural significance.

“Suggesting that progress or official endorsement hinges on the adoption of Devanagari diminishes the region's rich linguistic diversity,” he stated.Chaudhury alleged the approach reflected the RSS ideological position and said decisions on language and script must rest with the communities concerned. He cited Shah’s reported reference to the Roman script debate for Kokborok and said the home minister conveyed the Centre’s preference for Devanagari for Tripura’s tribal language.

Marking International Mother Language Day, Chaudhury said people must be free to preserve and promote their mother tongues in scripts of their choice. “Language is a vital component of identity. Any form of imposition, whether direct or indirect, will be resisted,” he mentioned, alleging BJP had launched linguistic imperialism to erode the identity of smaller communities.BJP state president and Rajya Sabha MP Rajib Bhattacharjee hit back, saying Hindi is recognised as India’s national language to promote national integration and that Shah had underlined the need to promote the national language. Bhattacharjee also said that for a language to grow and develop, its script should originate in India.