Naidu confesses: Took part in anti-Hindi movement

Vishal Joshi

Tribune News Service

Kurukshetra, April 19

In a candid public submission, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday shared his “indefensible” participation in the anti-Hindi movement.

“During my student days, I had blackened properties of the Postal Department and Railways. Later in my life, I realised that the tar used to deface public property had actually affected my conscious. I regret my participation as no language or faith should be opposed or ridiculed,” he said at the 31st convocation ceremony of Kurukshetra University (KU) here.

As part of the Anti-Hindi movement, a series of agitations took place in Tamil Nadu during pre- and post-Independence periods. The agitations involved mass protests, riots, and student and political movements in Tamil Nadu concerning the official status of Hindi in the state.

With those tumultuous years behind him, Naidu said: “As Hindi is the largest spoken language, people in several regions should be motivated to learn this rich language.” He supported the idea of introducing languages from other regions at the school level to promote national integration.

On the “culture of protest” gaining ground, he made a clarion call to shun protesting violently and damaging public property.

“India has an age-old tradition of placing women on a higher pedestal in all spheres of life. There is need to change our mindset towards women and give them opportunities in all fields, ” he said.

“There is a direct link between education and employment. You (students) need to acquire knowledge and skills to take up new opportunities. Education is not only for employment, but also for enhancement of knowledge. Students should be sensitised towards society,” Naidu added.

Senior officer gets doctorate degree

Additional Chief Secretary (Home) SS Prasad was among 106 students who were awarded PhD degrees during the KU convocation on Thursday. Prasad did his research on ‘Higher Education Reforms in Haryana’ under the guidance of Prof Pradeep Sachdeva. More than 1,500 students and scholars were awarded degrees.

Faux pas on Devi Lal

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu committed a gaffe when he said late Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal had supported the idea of introducing Tamil/Telugu or any other regional language at the school level. When contacted, RS Chaudhary, INLD general secretary and close aide of Devi Lal, said he was not unaware of the late leader ever proposing such an idea. A veteran political analyst said in fact former Haryana Chief Minister Bansi Lal had, in 1969, had Tamil as the state’s second language.