IT News
Imphal, April 10:
Proscribed group People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) has strongly reacted to the statement of the Union Home Minister Amit Shah to introduce Hindi language as a compulsory subject from class 1 to X in all the eight states of North East India .
A statement of the armed rebel group signed by Leibaak Ngakpa Luwang , Charge de’ Affairs, Publicity and propaganda of PREPAK said that such a decision of the Union Home Minister is to an open warfare to eradicate the various ethnic communities of the WESEA region. Home Minister Amit Shah announced the statement after the meeting of the 37th Parliamentary Official language Committee held on April 4 at Delhi.
The PREPAk statement said that Home Minister Amit Shah has stated that his government will give priority to Hindi examination and had appointed 22 thousands Hindi teachers in the 8 states of NE, besides converting the script of 9 dialects to Devanagari script. While highlighting the importance of Hindi language in India the Home Minister had also stated to make Hindi Language as the lingua franca of the country. He also appealed citizens of the country coming from various states to use Hindi as a medium to communicate instead of English language. Amit shah even said that over 70% of cabinet agendas are prepared in Hindi language. To make Hindi more popular the Home Minister also stated to include some of the local language in the dictionary of Hindi Language.
The PREPAK statement said that such a decision of the Union Home Minister is being criticized by various states of the country, particularly those of the South Indians. The decision not only violated the principle of federalism but it is also an insult to the mother languages of all the states and communities of India, the PREPAk said. It added that the PREPAK will not keep silence to the decision to forcefully introduce Hindi language to the non Hindi speaking people of the North East India and said that it is time to wake up and stand together against such a decision by all non-Hindi speaking states of the country.
Terming such measures as a part of the idea to make India “ One nation, One Religion, One Culture, One Language”, the PREPAK said that it is natural for them to impose economic and market expansion as well as cultural domination. Such policies will wipe out the identities and language of small indigenous population particularly those inhabiting in Manipur, the PREPAk expressed serious concern and added that not only the policy and programme will abolish the language and the identity of the small communities but also it will abolish the Meitei language which is the lingua franca of the state, as Hindi language will slowly engulf the Meitei language. The PREPAK also expressed apprehension of complete domination to the region by India if Hindi has replaced the lingua franca of the state.
Reminding the portion of History, at which the Meitei script has been burned and replaced by the Bangali Script in 18 century , the PREPAK said that after years the people of the region have managed to slowly revive the Meitei script and these efforts will be in vain if Hindi language is allowed to dominant over all other languages of the country. The PREPAK said that on October 5 of 1732 in the 18 century the original Meitei script have been burnt and was replaced by the Bengali Script. The Meitei script nearly remains a dead script even after the coming of the colonialist British as Bangali script and English continue to use as official script. After Kangleipak has been annexed to the Indian Union in 1949, the indigenous language of all communities including the Meitei language has been put in real trouble.
The PREPAK said that as Education sectors is under the concurrent list of the Indian constitution the Union government should consult or take prior permission or understanding before taking any matters relating to addition of any subject or curriculums. The armed group also reminded the declaration of the United Nations in connection with the Rights of the Indigenous people where a separate provisions to protect the rights of the indigenous people have been enclosed. It said that the rights of the indigenous people to protect their language, culture, traditions, and identities should be protected. The PREPAK’s statement also stated that the imposition of Hindi language till class X is in contradiction to the National Education Policy 2020 as it attempts to violates the concept of teaching the students upto class VIII with their mother language.
