Imphal: Union Home minister Amit Shah’s comment on making Hindi compulsory in all eight north-eastern states up to Class X drew opposition from various civil society organizations and students’ bodies in Manipur on Sunday.
Meetei Erol Eyek Loinasillou Apunba Lup (MEELAL), a body campaigning for the revival and popularization of the indigenous Manipuri script on Sunday said that the move is a part of carrying out BJP’s “one nation, one language, one religion”. “Now, the time has come for the legislators of the state to stand united against such a move that will destroy the languages, religions, cultures, traditions of the indigenous communities of the northeast region”, MEELAL said in a statement. It further urged the legislators to take up necessary steps for the development of Manipuri language and its original scripts.
The statement warned that MEELAL will always stand against such BJP’s agenda in Manipur.
Also read: NPF chief opposes use of Hindi as alternative to English
Also reacting to Amit Shah’s comment, Federal Students’ Organization Kangleipak (FSOK) alleged the BJP has been trying to eliminate the indigenous of the region in order to fulfill its RSS backed “one nation, one language, one religion” agenda. It said that language is the wealth of a community. “Eliminating the language means abolishing the religion, culture and tradition of the community,” the student body also said.
Also read: Manipur Congress objects Centre’s move to introduce compulsory Hindi