India can’t afford to be divided over languages, says Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar

India cannot afford to be divided on the issue of languages, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar said on Tuesday, appealing to the people to consider the future well-being of the country and “get over this storm”.

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Speaking at Pondicherry University, Dhankhar made a strong pitch for implementing the National Education Policy-2020 in letter and spirit, saying it was a “game changer” for the education sector and could spur further development of the country. “The NEP allows our youth to fully exploit their talents and energy, and gives importance to all languages,” he said.

The remarks of the Vice-President, who is also the chancellor of the university, were perhaps a veiled response to political parties that have opposed the implementation of the NEP in the UT, claiming the policy sought to impose Hindi.

The NEP, introduced after a gap of three decades, is a watershed moment in India’s academic journey, he said.

“India is the most aspirational nation in the world as a result of phenomenal development in the last decade. How can we be divided on languages?” he asked.

Dhankhar further claimed that no country in the world was as enriched as India when it came to languages. Besides Sanskrit that has global significance, the nation has 11 classic languages – including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Bengali and Assamese.

“In Parliament, the discourse by the members is allowed in 22 languages. The use of such diverse languages indicate inclusivity,” Dhankhar said

He also urged the states that are yet to implement the new education policy to rethink about their decision, saying it was a game changer.

“I appeal to the states which have not adopted and those which are implementing it to realise what is given in the policy. Let our boys and girls be fully aware of the benefits of the policy through workshops,” he said.