Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut Backs Amit Shah On "One Nation, One Language" - Hindi

"Union Home Minister Amit Shah should accept this challenge that there should be one language in all states. One country, one Constitution, one nishan (emblem/symbol) and one language should be there," Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut said.

Making a pitch for "one nation, one language", Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut today said Hindi is spoken across India and has acceptability, and added that Union minister Amit Shah should accept the challenge that there should be one language in all the states.

His statement comes over a month after Amit Shah said that Hindi should be accepted as an alternative to English and not to local languages, a statement that was vociferously opposed by several prominent political leaders in southern states, who said foisting Hindi on people was not acceptable, and also called it a part of an agenda to weaken the regional languages.

Mr Raut made the remark here while talking to media persons here. The comment was in response to a question about Tamil Nadu Education Minister K Ponmudy a day earlier decrying any attempts of alleged imposition of Hindi and questioning claims that learning the language would fetch jobs.

Taking a dig at those who insist jobs will be available for those who learn Hindi, the Tamil Nadu minister had also asked who are selling 'pani puri' in Coimbatore now, an obvious reference to the predominantly Hindi-speaking vendors involved in the trade.