ALL INDIA POLITICAL PARTIES MEET

AIPPM Introduction

Agenda: The Politics of Linguistic Imposition in Federal India

India’s identity is rooted in its linguistic diversity. With 22 official languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution and over 19,000 dialects spoken across its vast landscape, the Indian republic was envisioned as a multilingual, multicultural federation. However, the question of linguistic dominance—particularly the perceived imposition of Hindi or English over regional languages—has repeatedly sparked tensions between the Centre and various states.

From the Anti-Hindi agitations of the 1960s to the recent debates surrounding the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, language has remained a deeply political subject. It influences everything from governance and education to employment and national identity. While some argue for a common language to unify the nation, others view such moves as attempts to homogenize India’s cultural plurality under the veil of nationalism.

This committee seeks to explore the constitutional, political, and social dimensions of linguistic imposition in a federal setup. Members will debate the role of language in national integration, the limits of central authority in determining linguistic policy, and the challenges regional languages face in the age of globalization and digital governance.

Should India adopt a more decentralized linguistic policy? Is the promotion of Hindi truly inclusive, or does it marginalize non-Hindi-speaking populations? How do language politics intersect with caste, class, and regional aspirations?

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