Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday (September 27) voiced his strong disapproval when he came across a government school library's signboard bearing an inscription in English. Kumar visited the Banka district, about 250 kilometres from the state capital, to inaugurate a newly built hospital, inspect a recently renovated indoor stadium, and visit a high school. He expressed his displeasure when he noticed the signboard identifying it as a "digital library" at this high school.
"Why is this not in Hindi? We are not living in the British era," he commented to the District Magistrate Anshul Kumar, who was present.
Kumar, the longest-serving Chief Minister of Bihar, clarified that he had nothing against the English language, as it had been the medium of his education in engineering. He also noted that many of his speeches in Parliament had been delivered in English. However, he emphasized his decision to promote the use of Hindi, even discontinuing the use of English for his signature.
The District Magistrate assured Kumar that the signboard would be changed promptly, and Kumar's request would be fulfilled on the same day.
This is not the first time that Nitish Kumar has expressed his concerns about the use of English in public spaces. In February, he reprimanded an agricultural entrepreneur for including "too many English words" in a presentation. A month later, during a session of the state legislative council, he called out Chairman Devesh Chandra Thakur for displaying words like "honourable" and "speaking time" in English on the electronic display board.
Accompanied by cabinet colleagues and top government officials, the Chief Minister conducted his tour of the two districts during his visit.