New Delhi [India], July 7 : Amid the recent language controversy in Maharashtra and Karnataka, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh Sunil Ambekar said on Monday that the RSS has long maintained a clear stance on this issue that all Indian languages are national languages.
Responding to a reporter's question on what Sangh thinks about the recent language row "brewing up in states leading to division among society", Sunil Ambekar said, "Sangh has always had the stand that all languages of India are national languages. People speak their own languages in their own places. Primary education should be disseminated in the same language, which is what everyone has been requesting. This is already established."
Recently, in Maharashtra, a viral video from Thane district surfaced where a shop owner was assaulted allegedly for not speaking in Marathi. In a similar incident, entrepreneur Sushil Kedia's office in Worli was vandalised earlier this month. A total of 5 MNS workers were arrested in this connection.
Additionally, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut clarified that their party is not opposed to the Hindi language, but rather to making it mandatory in primary education.
"The Southern states have been fighting for this issue for years. Their stand against the imposition of Hindi means they will not speak Hindi and nor let anyone speak Hindi. But that is not our stand in Maharashtra. We speak Hindi. Our stand is that the strictness for Hindi in primary schools will not be tolerated. Our fight is limited to this," Raut said earlier this month.
Meanwhile, in Karnataka, a controversy erupted following an alleged controversial statement which was recently made by actor Kamal Haasan in May over the Kannada language, leading to agitation in the State against the release of the Tamil actor's movie 'Thug Life' in Karnataka. Hassan has allegedly said, "Kannada was born out of Tamil".
Further, on the situation in Manipur, RSS leader Sunil Ambekar said that a phase of normalcy has started to return in the northeastern state.
"When the situation deteriorates somewhere, it doesn't improve within a day. But if we compare to last year, normalcy has started setting in. It is the beginning of peace. Dialogues are being held on both sides, so a path will come out of it," the RSS leader said.
Last month, Former Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh stated that efforts are being made to find an "amicable solution" and restore peace to the ethnic violence hit Manipur, further stating that meetings were also being held with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and NDA MLAs to form a government in the state.
"We are only focusing on the current crisis. We are approaching the central government and concerned persons to find an amicable solution and bring peace to the state of Manipur. We are also meeting with the BJP and NDA MLAs to form a government in the state of Manipur. Now peace is being restored, and the central government, under the leadership of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, is working day and night to bring peace," said the former CM.
President's Rule was imposed in Manipur on February 13, days after BJP leader N. Biren Singh resigned as Chief Minister. Ethnic conflict broke out in the State on May 3, 2023, causing the loss of lives of hundreds of people.