In another show of poor knowledge about India's official languages, a woman on Kolkata Metro has gone viral for mocking Bengali passengers over not knowing Hindi. "Aapko India mein reh kar Hindi nahi aata [Living in India, you don't know Hindi]? You are in India. You are not in Bangladesh," she is heard saying in a video that has now gone viral.
Another woman is heard saying, "I live in West Bengal; it is my state; this is my Metro built with my tax, not yours... You cannot insult me or call me a Bangladeshi." The Hindi-speaking woman then says: "West Bengal is in India. Hence, people must speak in Hindi, which is India's language."
The other passengers seemed to be irritated by the argument and asked the women to get off the train and find an amicable solution to the argument. They, however, refuse and continue their argument.
The video was recorded on the Bengali woman's phone, which irritates the other woman. The Hindi-speaking woman even threatens to sue the Bengali woman for "recording without consent". "You will go to jail," she says and continues to mock.
This seemingly riles up other passengers, who slam the Hindi-speaking woman for allegedly referring to Bengalis as Bangladeshis for not speaking in Hindi.
This was not an isolated incident. An X user, Abhinaba Pal, shared a video of another similar incident.
The Language Debate In India
The language debate has been raging in India for decades. Maharashtra Nav Nirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray is known for his push to force people from outside the state to learn Marathi. The issue has also gained traction in Karnataka, where there have been umpteen conflicts among the public over the Kannada-vs-English & Hindi use. A week rarely passes by without a video of a Kannada-speaking person arguing with another from outside the state going viral.
Is There A National Language In India?
There is no national language in India. While Hindi is a widely spoken language, it is NOT the national language. A total of 22 languages have been granted the status of recognised languages in India as per the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India.
As per the Official Languages Act, 1963, Hindi and English are the official languages of India. This means that these two can be used for all official government, administrative, and judicial communications. The Constitution has no provision for any preferential treatment of languages.