BJD MP slams Centre for attempting to impose Hindi on non-Hindi speaking states

Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Tathagata Satpathy has criticised the Centre for attempting to impose Hindi on non-Hindi speaking states and questioned if it was to be considered 'an attack' on other languages.

Union Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on August 11 sent an invitation in Hindi for a government program.

"Why are Union Ministers forcing Hindi on non Hindi speaking Indians? Is this an attack on other languages?" Satpathy tweeted along with the invitation sent by Tomar.

This is not the first instance where the ruling dispensation has come under fire for attempting to impose Hindi.

Karnataka has been seeing a slew of protests named 'Hindibeda', with pro-Kannada activists blackening Hindi signboards in the Bengaluru Metro.

Tomar had written to Satpathy on August 11, inviting him to attend a district-level event on the 'India 2022' vision.

On Friday, Satpathy wrote to Tomar that, "I couldn't understand anything written in this letter as I don't understand your Hindi language."

The country has seen several anti-Hindi protests, at least three of them in Tamil Nadu, when the Centre tried to make the use of Hindi mandatory.

The protests in 1965 were the most violent, with more than 70 people being killed in clashes.