English is not a barrier, it's a bridge: Rahul Gandhi

(Fast Mail):-- English is not a “barrier”, it’s a “bridge”.English is not “shame, it’s “strength”.English is not a chain—it’s a tool to break chains.

Congress MP and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi said on Friday said that the BJP-RSS doesn’t want India’s poor children to learn English—because they don’t want you to question, progress, or achieve equality. 

In a post on “X” said,”In today’s world, English is as essential as your mother tongue—it brings employment and boosts confidence.Every Indian language has soul, culture, and knowledge. We must cherish them—and also teach every child English”. 

Gandhi said that this is the path to an India that competes globally, giving every child an equal opportunity. “English must be taught to children”,he said. 

Gandhi's comments came a day after Union home minister Amit Shah's reported remarks on English.

India has 22 constitutionally recognised languages and 19,500 languages and dialects and this is the 'unity in diversity' of our country.

The 22 languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution are Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu.

In 1950, when the Constitution was adopted, Article 343 declared that Hindi would be the official language and English would serve as an additional official language for a period not exceeding 15 years. The Official Languages Act, 1963 made a provision for the continuation of English as an official language alongside Hindi, coming into effect on 26 January 1965.

It says English should continue to be used for all the official purposes of the Union and for transaction of business in Parliament. The Act also says English shall be used for purposes of communication between the Union and a state which has not adopted Hindi as its official language.