Agartala: Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said on Friday that the preservation of local languages and the promotion of Hindi must go hand in hand, stressing that the primary purpose of language is to connect people and not create divisions.
Addressing the Eastern, North-Eastern and Northern Regional Rajbhasha Sammelan, inaugurated by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the International Indoor Exhibition Centre in Hapania, Chief Minister Saha said the conference should inspire collective progress through India’s official language while ensuring regional languages thrive.
Welcoming delegates from more than 20 states in the country to Tripura, the Chief Minister thanked Union Home Minister Shah for choosing the state as the venue and lauded officials for their efforts in organising the significant event.
Chief Minister Saha underlined that a widely understood language strengthens the bond between citizens and the government, and in this regard Hindi has played a key role.
“India is a land of many languages. Hindi unites the people of the world’s largest democracy, but it should not overshadow local languages. Both must flourish together — this diversity is our strength,” he said.
The Chief Minister added that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has entered a golden era for the revival and promotion of Indian languages, including Sanskrit.
He highlighted the emphasis on multilingual education under the National Education Policy, 2020, including the use of mother tongues as a medium of instruction.
Pointing to Tripura’s own experience, Chief Minister Saha said the use and understanding of Hindi have increased in the state alongside the continued practice of local languages, which he described as the identity and soul of the people.
Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar, MPs Rajib Bhattacharya, Biplab Kumar Deb and Kriti Singh Debbarma, Secretary of the Department of Official Language Anshuli Arya, Milan Rani Jamatia of Tripura Central University, along with Ministers, MLAs, public representatives and senior officials, were present at the event.
More than 3,000 delegates from Central government offices, public sector undertakings and banks participated in the conference, with representatives from eastern, northeastern and northern states and Union Territories attending the conference.
Addressing the event, Union Home Minister Shah said that languages and their scripts should not be turned into political issues or subjects of controversy, and urged parents to speak to their children in their mother tongue, warning that otherwise future generations would be deprived of their own literature, culture and history.
He added that if children do not learn their mother tongue properly, they would be unable to understand their roots, traditions and cultural heritage.
“The government has stressed that primary education should be imparted in the students’ own mother tongues,” Union Home Minister Shah said and emphasised the use of ‘Nagari Lipi’ for local languages, saying that it would help protect linguistic identities.
