Gandhinagar

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday emphasised the importance of Hindi to be seen as a friend of Indian languages rather than a competition.

While addressing the 5th Rajbhasha Sammelan in Gandhinagar on the occasion of Hindi Diwas, Shah said, "I always say that Hindi is not a competition to Indian languages. Hindi is a friend of Indian languages. There are no conflicts between Hindi and Indian languages."

Citing the example of Gujarat, he said, "The biggest example of this is our Gujarat. Gujarat is not a Hindi-speaking state. The State language is Gujarati."

He noted that although Gujarati is the state's primary language, prominent figures such as Swami Dayananda Saraswati, Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and KM Munshi had embraced and promoted Hindi, making Gujarat a brilliant example of the development of both Hindi and Gujarati through co-existence.

Shah also said that Hindi should not be just a spoken language and language of just the administration, but it should be the language of science, technology, the judiciary, as well as the Police. "When all of these are done in Indian languages, the direct connection with people increases on its own," he added.

Moreover, the Union Home Minister also highlighted that this year's Sammelan was being held in his parliamentary constituency. He also pointed out that, until recently, this program was held in Delhi. However, to make the Hindi language accessible to the people and encourage them to speak Hindi as much as possible, programs have been organised in Hyderabad, Pune, Surat, and now Gandhinagar.

Shah also urged Chief Ministers and Ministers from all states to correspond with him in their respective languages. "I will reply to them in the same language in which they correspond," he said.

Earlier, on the occasion of Hindi Diwas, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi extended heartfelt greetings to the nation today, emphasizing the cultural and emotional significance of Hindi as a living heritage of India's identity and values. He called upon citizens to collectively work towards enriching all Indian languages and passing them on to future generations with pride.

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In a post on X, PM Modi said, "Infinite best wishes to all of you on Hindi Diwas. Hindi is not just a medium of communication, but a living heritage of our identity and culture. On this occasion, let us all take a pledge to enrich all Indian languages including Hindi and pass them on with pride to the coming generations. The growing respect of Hindi on the world stage is a matter of pride and inspiration for all of us."