Language connects, can’t be imposed, says Jayant

NEw new delhi: linguistic communication must be seen as a germ of link and empowerment, ‘ non political imposition’, Union Minister of State (MoS) for education and skill development Jayant Chaudhary on Thursday said responding to opposition’s protests during the Winter Session of Parliament over naming several key bills in Hindi.In a conversation with Hindustan Times national political editor Sunetra Choudhury at the HT Future Ed Conclave 2025 , the Union minister said: “There is no one language in India and there is no constitutional mandate for one language,” Chaudhary said, rejecting allegations of Hindi imposition. “Our multicultural and multilingual diversity is part of our Indian identity. Government policy is to respect and enrich that diversity, not suppress it.”Several Bills introduced in Parliament during winter session carried Hindi titles, including the education-related Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, the rural employment-focused Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill or VB-G RAM G Bill. Additionally, the acronym for a nuclear energy legislation titled the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Bill works out to SHANTI. The Winter Session that concluded on Friday saw repeated disruptions in both Houses, with Opposition MPs arguing that Hindi bill names and official communication alienated non-Hindi-speaking states.Responding to the criticism regarding ‘linguistic dominance of Hindi’, Chaudhary said such debates were often driven by “short-term political positioning” rather than the substance of legislation. “Let us not get boxed down by the name. Look at the idea, look at what the bill is doing and how it empowers people,” he said.On the controversy around language identity in Parliament, where MPs increasingly speak in their mother tongues rather than Hindi or English, Chaudhary described it as a reflection of India’s pluralism rather than fragmentation. “What is wrong with asserting regional identity? This diversity is India’s core strength,” he said.He recalled his grandfather, former prime minister Chaudhary Charan Singh, was equally comfortable communicating in Hindi or English, depending on the audience. “He understood who he was speaking to. Language is about communicating ideas, not boxing ourselves into categories,” Chaudhary said.On the allegations that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 promotes Hindi at the cost of English or regional languages, the minister said the criticism was based on misinformation. “There is absolutely no mandate to teach Hindi. Show me one guideline under NEP that says Hindi is compulsory,” he said. Under NEP, he added, two out of three languages studied by students must be Indian languages, but these could be Tamil, Marathi, tribal languages or any other regional language, with full flexibility for states.Citing Maharashtra’s recent debate in June this year over the introduction of Hindi as a compulsory third language in primary schools, which led the state government to review and roll back its order after political pushback, Chaudhary stressed that states were free to decide based on local aspirations and capacity. “That freedom exists because of NEP. Maharashtra can align its policy with what its people want,” he said.Chaudhary said that learning multiple languages enhances cognitive ability and mobility. “The more languages you learn, the better equipped you are. Language should link us, not divide us,” he said, adding that fear around Hindi was misplaced. “India’s strength lies in its many voices, not in silencing any one of them.”Chaudhary further said India must see artificial intelligence (AI) as an opportunity, calling it “exciting” and stressing that AI is “not a vertical or a horizontal” but will cut across sectors.He called for a “seamless education journey” instead of short-term skilling fixes, stating that employability is “ever-evolving” and not limited to technical skills. Productivity, he added, matters more than long hours, noting that “two hours of focused work can be more effective than someone working 20 hours a day”.Addressing concerns regarding students suicide, he also called for a more humane education system, stressing that “every life matters” and that education should reduce stress. Opposing rigid, marks-driven approaches, he said policy must “empower individuals” and build resilience, creativity and dignity of work.