Mr. President, the question of national language for India which was an almost agreed proposition until recently has suddenly become a highly controversial issue. Whether rightly or wrongly, the people of non-Hindi speaking areas have been made to feel that this fight or this attitude on behalf of the Hindi speaking areas is a fight for effectively preventing the natural influence of other powerful languages of India on the composite culture of this nation. I have heard some honourable Members who are supporters of Hindi with Hindi numerals say, “You have accepted nearly 90 per cent. of our thesis; therefore, why hesitate to accept the other 10 per cent ?” May I ask them with what sacrifice, we have accepted this? Some friends said : ‘Absolutely there is no sacrifice on your part. You have to accept. You must’. This is the attitude in approaching the people of the non-Hindi speaking areas for asking them to accept their proposition in its entirety.
