Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], January 1 : Telangana BJP President N Ramchander Rao on Thursday welcomed Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Chief Mohan Bhagwat's suggestion on promoting mother tongues and regional languages, saying people should follow it "very seriously" amid the shift towards modern education.
"With modern education taking over the earlier traditional and conventional education system, people are forgetting their mother tongue and the Indian regional languages. I think the suggestion made by Mohan Bhagwat that we should encourage speaking our mother tongue in our houses, and also learning the language of the state where we stay and where we work. So I think many people are trying to learn the regional language, even though they don't belong to that particular state, or are from other states. This is a good suggestion. People should follow this suggestion very seriously," Rao told ANI.
The remarks come after tthe RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Wednesday urged social harmony, asking people to rise above language, caste, and wealth divisions, and said all languages are equal while encouraging speaking one's mother tongue at home.
"Atleast inside our houses, we should speak in our mother tongue. If you live in another state or region, you should learn the language of that state or region because all languages are India's national languages. They all have equal weightage," RSS Chief said.
Meanwhile, the remarks drew varied reactions. Congress leader Shama Mohamed criticised BJP leaders and RSS affiliates for not following the guidance. At the same time, Maulana Sajid Rashidi highlighted constitutional rights over language choice.
Congress leader Shama Mohamed agreed with Bhagwat's call for unity but criticised BJP leaders and RSS affiliates for not following it, urging him to "preach" to them first.
"When Mr Bhagwat talks about unity, stability and collective strength, I agree with him. We all should be united. But the issue is his own chief ministers, because the RSS is the BJP and the BJP is the RSS, do not follow it. Yogi Adityanath spews hate every day toward Muslims. Giriraj Singh, a member of parliament from the BJP in Bihar, abuses Muslims. Himanta Biswa Sarma abuses Muslims, and most of the party men of Vishwa Hindu Parishad attack and abuse Christians. VHP is a part of RSS. So first, he should go and preach to them. Ask these people why they are not listening to him. If that is the truth, they should listen to him, and he should control them," Mohamed said.
Imam Association President Maulana Sajid Rashidi, also highlighted the prevalence of Hindi-Urdu mix across states and invoked constitutional rights, asserting no one can dictate language choices.