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Amid the brewing Tamil Nadu versus Centre “language war” over the “imposition of Hindi through the National Education Policy (NEP)”, the Revanth Reddy-led Congress government’s move to make Telugu compulsory in all schools of Telangana has found support from Opposition quarters, with leaders calling it an attempt to “preserve the language”.
“The government’s order making Telugu compulsory has more to do with preserving the language rather than pitting it against any other language. Telangana has seen no history of a language war. In fact, many non-Telugu communities live in Hyderabad while speaking their own language. Speaking in Hindi is also very common. Telangana’s history, especially that of Hyderabad, is of a cosmopolitan culture which accommodates all languages,” historian Professor M Kodandaram, who is a nominated MLC and founder of the Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS), told The Indian Express.
The Telangana government on Tuesday issued a circular that mandated all schools – state government-run, CBSE, ICSE and International Baccalaureate (IB) – to make Telugu a compulsory subject. According to government data, 25.6 lakh children are enrolled in state government-run schools of Telangana. Of them, 10.16 lakh students are enrolled in English-medium schools while 15.44 lakh students are enrolled in Telugu-medium schools. “More than half of the government-run schools will soon be turned into English-medium schools, where Telugu is relegated to the sidelines. In the schools run by other boards, Telugu is only an optional language. The emphasis on learning Telugu in schools is low,” a Congress leader said while defending the government’s move.
Revanth’s move has also garnered the support of the Opposition BRS, albeit with some skepticism. “We support the government in this regard but with some caveats. Telugu should be made compulsory for Telugu-origin students but not be forced on non-Telugu students,” BRS spokesperson Dasoju Sravan told The Indian Express.
BRS leader R S Praveen Kumar welcomed the move but said it should not have been an “overnight one”. “The decision should have been taken after wider consultations with all stakeholders,” he said.
Kodandaram said the order should have also included “concessions” to other languages spoken in the region, like Urdu. Incidentally, the then BRS government’s move (it was called the TRS at the time) to make Urdu the second language in 2017 had been met with resistance from the BJP. Then BJP floor leader and current Union minister G Kishan Reddy had said Telugu was not effectively implemented in government offices.
A Telangana BJP leader said they supported Telugu being made compulsory, but that no “concessions” must be given to other languages, including Urdu. “Let students learn Telugu, Hindi and English. What is the problem?” the leader said.
Even as the leaders all agreed that the possibility of a “language war” on the lines of Tamil Nadu seems very bleak, a section believes that Revanth’s move could be aimed at sending a subtle message to the Centre that Telangana will stand by Tamil Nadu on the issue of language policy. “The DMK is our ally in Tamil Nadu and it is only right for the Telangana CM to express solidarity with his Tamil Nadu counterpart M K Stalin,” a Congress leader said.
