'Language is not for hating': After Pawan Kalyan, Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu backs multilingual education

Amid ongoing debates over language policies in India, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has urged people to move away from divisive politics and focus on learning multiple languages without disregarding their mother tongue.

Speaking in the Assembly on Monday, Naidu said, “Language is only for communication. Knowledge will not come with language. Only people who study in their mother tongue are excelling across the world. It is easy to learn (through the mother tongue).”

The chief minister's remark comes amid a language row between Tamil Nadu and the Union Government, which saw his Deputy CM and JanaSena chief Pawan Kalyan defending linguistic freedom under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Naidu stressed that no language should be a cause for hatred. “I am telling this very clearly to you...language is not for hating. Here (in Andhra Pradesh) the mother tongue is Telugu. Hindi is the national language and international language is English,” he stated.

He added that learning more languages can open up career opportunities, especially for those migrating abroad. “Many people are going to other countries such as Japan and Germany. If those languages could also be learnt here, it will be very easy when people visit those destinations,” he said.

Naidu dismissed the need for political conflicts over languages, urging people to embrace multilingual learning while staying rooted in their native language. “There is no need to engage in unnecessary politics over languages. Learn as many as possible, but don’t forget your mother tongue,” he said.

Naidu's statement goes with Pawan Kalyan's recent comments on the language controversy. Kalyan last week said, “Either imposing a language forcibly or opposing a language blindly; both doesn’t help to achieve the objective of National & Cultural integration of our Bharat.”

He also reaffirmed his stance on Hindi, clarifying that he has never opposed Hindi as a language but only resisted making it compulsory. “When the NEP 2020 itself does not enforce Hindi, spreading false narratives about its imposition is nothing but an attempt to mislead the public,” Kalyan said.

Under the NEP 2020, students have the flexibility to choose 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 any Indian language such as Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Marathi, Bengali, Urdu, or even Sanskrit.

Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin has been opposing the three-language formula, which the state refuses to implement, citing concerns over Hindi imposition.