Imposing language or blindly opposing it doesn't achieve national integration: Pawan Kalyan

Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan on Saturday said neither forcibly imposing a language nor blindly opposing one helps achieve national and cultural integration.

The actor-politician asserted that he had "never opposed Hindi as a language" but only "opposed making it compulsory".

"Either imposing a language forcibly or opposing it blindly; both don’t help achieve the objective of national and cultural integration in our Bharat (sic)," said Janasena chief in a post on 'X'.

He stated that since the National Education Policy 2020 does not mandate Hindi, spreading "false narratives about its imposition is merely an attempt to mislead the public."

According to Kalyan, under NEP 2020, students have the flexibility to learn any two Indian languages, including their mother tongue, along with a foreign language.

"If they do not wish to study Hindi, they can opt for Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, or any other Indian language," he said.

Further, Kalyan emphasised that the multi-language policy is designed to empower students with "choice, promote national unity, and preserve India’s rich linguistic diversity."

"Misinterpreting this policy for political agenda and claiming that Pawan Kalyan changed his stance only reflects a lack of understanding," he claimed.

Additionally, he reiterated that Janasena firmly upholds the principle of "linguistic freedom and educational choice for every Indian."