The paradox of English: It is both a foreign tongue and a deeply embedded Indian language

Alongside their offensive against Urdu, India’s language nationalists appear to have turned their ire on English. That is what one could conclude from the declaration by Union Home Minister Amit Shah at a book launch in New Delhi on Thursday, when he predicted that “soon a time would come when those speaking English will feel ashamed”.

“In our lifetime, we will see a society in which those speaking English will feel ashamed, that day is not far,” he said. “I believe that the languages of our country are the ornament of our culture. Without them, we would not have been Bharatiya. Our country, its history, its culture, our dharma – if these have to be understood, it cannot be done in foreign languages.”

Shah’s statement quickly sparked a political backlash. Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, countered forcefully: “English is not a dam, it is a bridge. English is not shameful, it is empowering. English is not a chain – it is a tool to break the chains.”

Other opposition figures, including Trinamool Congress leaders Derek O’Brien and Sagarika Ghose, echoed this sentiment, slamming the home minister for what they saw as a regressive and divisive stance.

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