Tripura Congress protests ahead of Amit Shah’s visit, alleges bid to impose Hindi

The Tripura unit of the Congress staged a protest on February 20, ahead of the visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, alleging attempts to impose Hindi and undermine regional languages.

The demonstration was held in front of the Tripura Pradesh Congress Bhavan in Agartala. Party leaders and workers raised slogans against what they termed as the “forceful imposition” of Hindi.

Addressing the media, Congress spokesperson Prabir Chakraborty said the country was facing a “tough situation,” referring to what he described as economic and employment crises. He held Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat responsible for the prevailing circumstances.

Mr. Chakraborty alleged that the Home Minister’s visit to the State was linked to a broader agenda concerning language policy. He claimed that efforts were being made to promote Hindi as a national language, which he described as “unconstitutional and unacceptable.”

He further alleged that recent remarks by the RSS chief regarding infiltration and identification based on language were part of a larger strategy. Any attempt to prioritise Hindi over other officially recognised languages goes against the spirit of the Constitution, he said.

“India’s Constitution recognises 22 official languages, and Hindi is one of them. Any attempt to impose one language over others goes against the spirit of the Constitution,” Mr. Chakraborty said.

The protest comes on the eve of International Mother Language Day. Congress leaders said the timing made the alleged attempts to promote Hindi over other languages more concerning.

The party also accused the State government of sidelining Bengali and Kokborok, the latter being widely spoken among Tripura’s indigenous communities. Congress leaders said they would continue to oppose any move that they believe disrespects or diminishes regional languages.