Zomato Row: Kamal Haasan Says Hindi Not National Language, Modi Govt Must Make That Clear

The Zomato controversy has raked up the 'One nation, one language' issue which was sloganeered by the BJP government in 2019

Kamal Haasan (File photo)

Chennai: Actor-turned-politician and Makkal Needhi Maiyam (MNM) chief Kamal Haasan on Wednesday shed light on the linguistic diversity of India, and said it is the Centre's responsibility to clarify the 'national language' issue. 

His comment came a day after food delivery company Zomato landed into trouble after a Tamil Nadu man alleged that he was told by a customer care executive “to learn Hindi”, which she said is “our national language”.

The Zomato controversy has once again raked up the issue of 'One nation, one language' — a slogan given by the BJP in 2019 — in Tamil Nadu.

In a tweet in Tamil, Kamal Haasan said: "India is a country of many languages. According to the Constitution, we have no such thing as a national language. However, the superstition that Hindi is the national language catches a lot of people. It is the duty of the central government to clarify."

இந்தியா பல மொழிகளின் நாடு. அரசியலமைப்புச் சட்டத்தின்படி, நமக்கு தேசிய மொழி என்று எதுவும் இல்லை. என்றாலும் இந்தியே தேசிய மொழி என்ற மூடநம்பிக்கை நிறைய பேரை பிடித்தாட்டுகிறது. தெளிவுபடுத்த வேண்டியது நடுவண் அரசின் கடமை.

— Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) October 20, 2021

In September 2019, on Hindi Divas, Home Minister Amit Shah had said it was “very important to have one language that should become the identity of India in the world”, and that if there is one language that can unite the country, it is Hindi.

आज हिंदी दिवस के अवसर पर मैं देश के सभी नागरिकों से अपील करता हूँ कि हम अपनी-अपनी मातृभाषा के प्रयोग को बढाएं और साथ में हिंदी भाषा का भी प्रयोग कर देश की एक भाषा के पूज्य बापू और लौह पुरूष सरदार पटेल के स्वप्प्न को साकार करने में योगदान दें।

हिंदी दिवस की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएं

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) September 14, 2019

The proposal was seen as “Hindi imposition”, and it met with protests in Tamil Nadu and other non-Hindi speaking states.

Kamal Haasan was also among the leaders who had raised their voice against the idea of 'One nation, one language'. 

However, Amit Shah later clarified that he didn't mean Hindi should be the national language.

The ‘Hindi imposition’ issue was raked up again after the Zomato controversy. After facing a backlash on Twitter, as the consumer screenshots of his conversation with the customer care executive who asked him to learn Hindi, Zomato issued an apology and terminated the services of the employee on Tuesday. 

Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal, however, reinstated the employee hours later, saying it was a human error.