Hindi and other regional languages are important for communication, culture and ethos. But, they don’t make global citizens. They don’t make one eligible for high value jobs or meeting expectations of overseas customers.
English is the only skill-set that Indians score over the overbearing Chinese. Imagine China as a software and services powerhouse alongside the manufacturing advantage. What would we export, even as our oil and gold imports climbed? Hindi astrology lessons or spiritual discourses with English subtitles.
India’s English-speaking, including the loquacious TV anchors, predictably reacted angrily to Singh’s comments. As a mark of protest, all of them should be requested to keep silent for some time. That would be a relief.
Singh’s comments offer another glimpse of the virulently shrewd mind games Indian politicians play to influence voters. The aim is to make the voter think and reason less. The idea is to appeal to emotions, swaying the voting electorate.
There is no doubt that the political class in India today universally hates the emerging, pointing-fingers, assessing, castigating, high-on-expectation-and-aspiration middle classes, usually well-versed in English, the language of socio-economic mobility and opportunity. The middle classes are taking to the streets, holding English placards, demanding that the government deliver.
They have shown a tendency to back Narendra Modi, given his promise of governance and growth. Otherwise Singh would probably have been very happy to portray himself as Prime Minister. Nitin Gadkare aspired to be PM, why not Singh? Parties and political leaders such as Singh have it easiest if they manage to garner votes-based on caste, religion, and linguistic affinities, rather than having to work at performance, governance and constructive vision for the country, that the English-speaking are most vocal about.
Thus the BJP periodically drums up Hindi, Hindu nationalism, Ayodhya temple hoping for some easy votes in the name of Lord Ram. Others follow the same game plan of “minimum effort, maximum gain.”
Mamata Banerjee finds it convenient to point fingers towards a Left party conspiracy even when a pair of chappals is stolen in West Bengal. Jayalalitha, meanwhile, has made sure Sri Lankan cricketers don’t get to ball or bat in Tamil Nadu. Mayawati is the rich dalit goddess that her subjects revere and fear.
Mulayam Singh Yadav has ensured that generations of youth in Uttar Pradesh have grown up without knowing English, while his son Akhilesh Yadav studied abroad. Kids of politicians that look to stamp out English should not be allowed to learn the language. And, if they do, they should not be allowed to talk in English.
In another ruse, in the run up to elections next year, the Congress has been desperately trying to revive its decade old defunct “Garibi Hatao,” pro-poor, social equity political strategy to divert attention from the multiple corruption scandals in CWG, coal or telecom and the failure to push reforms and growth.
Like criticizing those who speak English, this is another attempt to win votes via muddling of the heart rather than exercising of the mind.
To prove poverty reduction credentials of his masters, Raj Babbar said a hearty meal can be bought in Mumbai for Rs. 12, while another Congress spokesperson has said, the same can be done for Rs. 5 in Delhi.
Kapil Sibal has said a meal is available at Re. 1. Try giving a beggar Re. 1, he or she will throw it back at you. Perhaps, these leaders have been spending too much time at the heavily subsidized Indian Parliament canteen, probably the only working section of the grand building due to the overall adjourned status of our legislative functioning.
Babbar, Sibal, and their colleagues, need to step out in the real world. They will fail to buy one tomato or tamatar with the money they mention.
Coming back to Rajnath Singh’s statement, he needs to get his facts straight before making such comments. It is not English language. It is poor governance, inaction, fiasco created day in and day out by illiterate politicians, and corruption that are to blame. Setting up rules and not following, or punishing those who don’t follow them, is what really needs to be fixed.
The issues that have recently blown out of proportions such as delay in serving justice even for inexcusable and serious crimes such as rape and murder, corruption, the economy, communal violence, are not because India has embraced English. It is because either the leaders don’t do their job, or if someone is willing, they instigate fear and threat to stop any timely action, so they could score over their opponents. All they are worried about is how to win votes, securing their seats in Parliament, have a red light car, and IAS or IPS officers at their disposal to do what they want them to do, not what the officers are expected to do as part of their normal duty. Anyone who dares to oppose, is either silenced or suspended. Then there is the classic comment, “what can we do, we are sitting in the opposition.”
Fix these issues first and you will realize English language was never the real threat.
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Siddharth Srivastava is India correspondent for Siliconeer. He lives in New Delhi.
