Amit Shah defends NEP, links promotion of Indian languages with cultural nationalism

Union home minister Amit Shah addresses the 6th All India Rajbhasha Sammelan in Mumbai.

Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday said it took nearly 80 years to restore the “full glory” of the national song Vande Mataram, underlining its enduring role in India's cultural and national identity. Addressing the 6th All India Rajbhasha Sammelan, Shah said the song had played an important role in India’s freedom struggle and remained deeply connected with the country’s cultural consciousness. Shah also linked the promotion of Indian languages with what he described as cultural nationalism, saying the objective was to create greater awareness about India's rich culture and history. “Cultural nationalism means creating awareness about our culture and history,” Shah said, stressing that linguistic diversity should be seen as a strength rather than a source of division.

Shah defends NEP

The Union home minister also defended the provision in the National Education Policy (NEP) encouraging students to learn another Indian language apart from their mother tongue. He said those opposing the provision were committing a “sin”. Shah said the policy was aimed at strengthening familiarity among Indians with each other’s languages and cultures, rather than imposing any particular language. He also highlighted Maharashtra’s linguistic diversity, describing it as the country’s only multi-linguistic state. Shah noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government had accorded Classical Language status to Marathi, recognising its rich literary and historical heritage. "It was none other than our PM Modi who took the initiative to grant Marathi the status of a 'Classical Language.' When you step onto the soil of Maharashtra, you find a place where diverse languages, such as Konkani, Gujarati, Sindhi, Hindi, Kannada, and Warli that have flourished, been respected, and gained acceptance.

There is no multilingual state in all of India larger than Maharashtra; if there is a state that stands out as the largest multilingual region, it is Maharashtra," he said. The home minister further said the NEP had placed considerable emphasis on education in Indian languages. He said PM Modi had made imparting primary education in the mother tongue mandatory under the new education policy. Shah's remarks came amid a broader push by the government to promote Indian languages in education and public administration, while emphasising the cultural links between language, history and national identity.