Kohima, April 10 (MExN): The Naga People’s Front (NPF) President, Dr Shürhozelie Liezietsu today said that Hindi cannot be used as an alternative to English in Nagaland given the status of the language in the State.
“We are not against Hindi. But we cannot agree at the moment to use Hindi as an alternative to English in Nagaland because it is impossible in its totality,” he said.
“This is the ground reality and we do not find any other option at the moment,” he added.
Justifying the same, Dr Shürhozelie noted that while Hindi is the national language, if it is imposed by the central Government on the people who do not know the language without putting in any effort to make the learn, it would amount to “alienation.”
It will amount to alienation which may not certainly be in the interest of the nation, he added.
To buttress his point, Dr Shürhozelie narrated that the then Prime Minister, Morarji Desai, who was holding Education portfolio during 1979-’80, said in a Education Ministers’ Conference in New Delhi that, “Hindi should be used from the beginning to PG level in education.”
When views were sought by the Chairperson, Shilla Kaul ( the then Minister of State, Education) from the members present, Nagaland had expressed that it was not possible in the State, he recalled.
When Desai insisted why, he was reportedly informed that though people of the State want to learn Hindi, there was no one to teach them and Hindi teachers were ex-servicemen from the Assam Regiment.
“Therefore, if you (PM) come down to Nagaland, you cannot understand our Hindi in as much as we cannot understand your Hindi in Delhi,” he was reportedly told, as per Dr Shürhozelie’s account.
Even after 40 years, Nagaland still remains almost in the same position because we have not seen any serious efforts made on the part of the Central Government towards development of the language whichever party is in power in Delhi, the NPF President further stated.
