Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to allow candidates appearing for competitive exams, meant for central government posts, to write in regional languages.
In a letter written Wednesday, made public by the Chief Minister’s Office Friday, KCR has stated that all competitive exams for recruitment to posts in the central government, central public sector undertakings (PSUs), Indian Railways, defence services and nationalised banks, among others, are held in only two languages — Hindi and English.
CM Sri KCR, in a letter addressed to the Prime Minister Sri @NarendraModi ji, requested to permit candidates taking all competitive exams of Govt. of India, its Depts. and undertakings held through UPSC, RRB, PSBs, RBI, SSC, etc. to write in regional languages also. pic.twitter.com/775ei585Rr
— Telangana CMO (@TelanganaCMO) November 20, 2020
“Students who do not study in English medium or those who are not from Hindi-speaking states are at a serious disadvantage in the competitive examinations,” the chief minister said in the letter, adding that allowing regional languages will provide a ‘fair opportunity’ to students from across the states.
KCR said these exams would include recruitment in central departments and undertakings through UPSC and all other agencies like Railway Recruitment Boards, Public Sector Banks, RBI, and Staff Selection Commission.
KCR ups ante against Modi
The letter comes two days after KCR made a pitch for an anti-BJP coalition of regional opposition parties again, while accusing the Narendra Modi government of implementing “anti-people, anti-farmer and anti-worker” policies.
KCR has also said he would host a ‘national conclave’ of opposition parties, in Hyderabad, in the second week of December. The chief minister said he had already spoken to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and DMK chief M.K. Stalin. He added that he also spoke to former chief ministers of UP, Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka — Akhilesh Yadav, Sharad Pawar, Prakash Singh Badal and H.D. Kumaraswamy, respectively — besides CPI and CPM leaders.
KCR has been pitching for an idea of a federal front — supposed to be an ‘anti-BJP’, ‘anti-Congress’ — since 2018.
The latest move, which focuses a lot less on being ‘anti-Congress’, comes at a time when the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation is gearing up for local body polls. Buoyed by a win in a recent bypoll at Dubbaka, KCR’s bastion, the BJP has been making moves to make inroads in the southern state.
Also read: ‘Won’t vote unless we get aid’ — Hyderabad residents on KCR’s flood relief ‘mismanagement’
Wondering! why KCR is raising the language issue now, as this practice has been there Central Govt. selection examinations for years together ? Though the issue is a genuine one, all state languages are not the official languages of the country. Only Hindi is the official language of the country. That is how our founding fathers of the Constitution accepted for the country to have.
The demand of Telangana CM is just. By conducting exams only in Hindi or English denies the citizen’s equal opportunity to participate in these exams. There are 22 official languages in India and English and Hindi are but two among them. Earlier recruitment for Banks, Railways and the NEET to name a few were not held in regional languages. This silent favoring of one or two languages for competitive recruitment exams is against the Federal principle. All citizens should have equal opportunities and the right to participate. Thousands of students from rural non-Hindi states do not have the advantage of learning in English or Hindi for that matter. One hopes the central agencies are more sensitive to the needs of the vast number of citizens who deserve a level and an unbiased playing field.
Ramakrishna
Sincerely
Indian Constitution has recognized 22 languages in its VIII schedule. All are official languages in their respective states, I believe. Not for the entire country. Hindi is the national language. Every nation has a language. Similarly, India has Hindi. However, Hindi speaking states or mother tongue Hindi people have an advantage while writing the Central Govt UPPSC and other examinations. For others, those who write in English, English is not their mother tongue. Moreover, the standard in which English Papers are set is high. So, they must be added at least 5 marks more than Hindi Exam writing people to bring in equality, as the Government cannot conduct in all languages. Even if they conduct, the minor unrecognized language people cry hoarse that they are unable to get equality. This has no end.