Amid vehement opposition to the National Education Policy’s three-language formula from the neighbouring Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said Monday that languages are for communication and while the mother tongue is important, “there is no harm in learning other languages”.
Naidu, while making a presentation of ‘Swarna Andhra 2047 Vision’ in the Legislative Assembly Monday, spoke about the importance of learning the mother tongue. At the same time, he said, learning a new language could provide a competitive edge to youth looking for job opportunities.
The CM’s remarks come at a time when the Dravida munnetra kazhagam in Tamil Nadu has been opposing the “imposition of Hindi” in the southern states.
“Whether you are looking to work in the state, in the country, or outside, skills are important and they can be imparted in the mother tongue only. Learning the mother tongue is of utmost importance. Some say that knowledge can be gained through English. No, it can be gained mainly through the mother tongue. In our state, it is Telugu. Hindi is Jatiya Basha (national language) and learning it will help in communicating in places such as Delhi. English is an international language… Let me reiterate once again that language is not to be hated. It is only for communication. So, instead of playing unnecessary politics, we should strive to learn as many languages as possible,” he said.
His remarks were met with approvals and smiles from Janasena Party members, including Deputy CM K Pawan Kalyan.
Although Naidu did not make any reference to the National Education Policy 2020, his speech lent weight to the three-language policy.
“If you learn a language like Hindi, you will be able to interact better in a place like Delhi. At the same time, mother tongue should not be forgotten. Across the world, if you go to any country, the ethnic group with the highest income are Indians and 33 percent of them are Telugus. So, if you go any Indian neighbourhood and call out in Telugu, it is likely many Telugus will come out and you start a discussion there. And I am proud to point that out those who speak (this) mother tongue are occupying important positions across the world,” Naidu said.
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Last week, Andhra Pradesh Deputy CM K Pawan Kalyan waded into the language rowcalling out DMK leaders for not objecting when Tamil movies were dubbed into Hindi for “financial gain”.
On Saturday, Kalyan issued a statement in response to the DMK criticism. Posted on X, the statement quoted Kalyan as saying that the NEP 2020 did not make Hindi compulsory but that “false narratives about its imposition” were being peddled to mislead the people.
