English will continue as associate language

New Delhi: The Union Cabinet today approved the proposed legislation to amend the Official Languages Act to honour Nehru’s assurance to nonHindi-speaking people on the continuance of English as an associate language in addition to Hindi.

The bill endorsed by the Cabinet provides that English would continue to be used at the Central level till each of the State Legislatures agrees to the adoption of Hindi as the sole medium of administration.

So far as states are concerned, they would be free to switch over from English to their regional languages, or Hindi, as the case may be. But the Centre will continue to correspond in English with such states as may seek this facility.

The legislation is likely to provoke a bitter controversy not only in Parliament but within the Congress Parliamentary Party. Nevertheless, the government wants to get it passed during the present session of Parliament without any major modifications.

Not only Opposition parties like the Jana Sangh but also a section of the Congress Parliamentary Party from the Hindispeaking areas are likely to protest against the right being given to any single State Legislature to block to final switch-over to Hindi, even if all the others want it. These members have often opposed this provision and described it as “a veto”.