One nation-one language will never be a reality, says Jairam Ramesh in Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Sep 15: Amid a raging debate over Hindi as a common language for the country, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday said it would never be a reality.
The Rajya Sabha member also noted that former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was under daily attack by forces out to "denigrate and obliterate" his legacy and the very idea of India would "die" if his ideas were abandoned.
...we may have one nation-one tax, but one nation-one language will never be a reality...we are one nation- we are many languages, we are one nation- many countries," he said.
Ramesh, who began his speech by addressing the dignitaries, including the Governor and Chief Minister and the audience in English Kannada, Hindi, said "I have spoken in three languages in one minute,just to give you a message...."
"We may have one nation-one tax, one nation-one election, but under no circumstances can we have one nation-one culture, one nation-one language," he added.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday had pitched for Hindi as a common language for the country, reigniting the debate on the issue as parties in the South said they would oppose any attempt to "impose" the language.
Congress too had cautioned against stirring up "emotive" issues "settled" by those who framed the Constitution, after Shah said that while diversity in languages is India's strength, a national language is needed so that foreign languages and cultures do not overpower the country's own.
Ramesh was delivering the Sir M Visvesvaraya memorial lecture- "A Prime Minister and an Engineer" at an event organized by the Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry to commemorate the birth anniversary of its founder Visvesvaraya, who was also the Diwan of Mysore state.
Listing out various accounts related to Nehru and Visvesvaraya, Ramesh said he was a perfect model of intellectual integrity and financial probity, both values that are endangered today.
"Today we recall this remarkable man as an annual ritual.
How much our country would gain if we were to follow his example the other 364 days as well," he said.
Ramesh said Nehru, the architect of the modern Indian nation state, had anchored in an open, liberal, representative democracy, secularism, a celebration of diversities amidst unity, scientific temper and planned economic development, all of which was now under 'daily attack' by forces out to 'denigrate and obliterate" his legacy.
"As an unabashed but not uncritical admirer of his, I must say that the very idea of India will die if we abandon the ideas of Nehru.
Recognizing his contributions and standing up for the causes he championed would be the best tribute we would be paying to Visvesvaraya himself," he added.
Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala and Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa were present at the event, where Advaith Hyundai Director Dr S V S Subramanya Gupta was conferred with the Bharat Ratna Sir M Visvesvaraya memorial award, 2019.
Referring to Gupta's request to the Chief Minister for better infrastructure in Bengaluru, Ramesh mocked at Deputy Chief Minister Govind Karjola’s recent comment that good roads were responsible for accidents, without taking his name.
"There are some people who think that good roads in Bengaluru lead to more deaths," he said.
Amid calls that the government should first improve road infrastructure before imposing hefty fines for traffic violations, Karjol had recently said good roads were responsible for accidents.
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Indian visa application centre suspended indefinitely in Bangladesh's Chattogram
Dhaka (PTI): India on Sunday suspended visa operations at its mission in Bangladeshi port city of Chattogram until further notice, according to media reports.
The move comes in the wake of a fresh wave of unrest witnessed in the country following the death of prominent youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi.
His death triggered attacks and vandalism across Bangladesh, including stone-hurling at the Assistant Indian High Commissioner's residence in Chattogram on Thursday.
Hadi, a prominent leader of the student-led protests last year that led to the ouster of the prime minister Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government, was a candidate for the scheduled February 12 general elections.
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He was shot in the head on December 12 by masked gunmen at an election campaign in central Dhaka’s Bijoynagar area and died while undergoing treatment in Singapore on December 18.
“Due to the recent security incident at Assistant High Commission of India (AHCI) Chittagong, Indian visa operations at IVAC Chittagong (Chattogram) will remain suspended from 21/12/2025 until further notice,” the Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) said in a brief statement.
The announcement for reopening the visa centre will be made after reviewing the situation, the statement added. The decision came into effect on Sunday.
There are five IVAC facilities across Bangladesh at Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Chattogram and Sylhet. An IVAC official told PTI that the other four offices have remained operational as of Sunday.
India on Thursday resumed operations at its visa application centre in Dhaka, a day after closing it over escalated security concerns, but closed for a brief period two other identical facilities in Rajshahi and Khulna as anti-India protestors tried to march towards the Indian missions there.
On Saturday, security was strengthened at the Indian Assistant High Commission office and the visa application centre in Bangladesh's Sylhet city.
The enhanced security measures were put in place to ensure that “no third party can exploit the situation,” Additional Deputy Commissioner (Media) of the Sylhet Metropolitan Police Saiful Islam was quoted as saying by The Dhaka Tribune newspaper on Saturday.
Hadi, 32, was laid to rest on Saturday amid extra-tight security beside the grave of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam near the Dhaka University mosque.
Tens of thousands of people attended the funeral prayers, and ahead of the ritual, chanted anti-India slogans like “Delhi or Dhaka - Dhaka, Dhaka” and “brother Hadi’s blood will not be allowed to go in vain.”
Earlier on December 17, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) summoned Bangladesh envoy Riaz Hamidullah and conveyed its strong concern over certain extremist elements announcing plans to create a security situation around the Indian mission in Dhaka.
“We expect the interim government to ensure the safety of Missions and Posts in Bangladesh in keeping with its diplomatic obligations,” it said.
The envoy was apprised of India's strong concerns about the deteriorating security environment in Bangladesh, it added.
