Efforts on for Hindi's inclusion in official languages at UN but will take some time: EAM Jaishankar
New Delhi, Oct 27: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said efforts are on to get Hindi recognised as an official language at the United Nations and progress has been made in that direction but it will take some time.
He made the remarks at an event in Delhi where it was announced that the next World Hindi Conference will be organised in Nadi, Fiji from February 15-17 next year.
Asked about efforts to include Hindi among the official languages at the UN, Jaishankar said, "You would know Hindi is being used in UNESCO. As far as the use of Hindi in its headquarters is concerned, we have an MoU with them, they are using it in social media and newsletters. It will take some time in expanding this, it is not so easy that a language is introduced in the UN process."
"Work is being done on it, progress has been made and it is our expectation that this will move forward," he said.
The UN has six official languages English, Russian, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic and French.
Speaking at the event, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said, "The 12th World Hindi Conference will be organised in Nadi, Fiji from February 15-17 next year. It is being organised in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Fijian government."
The logo of the World Hindi Conference and the website were also unveiled at the event.
The logo has been selected through a competition that saw 1,436 entries. Out of these, 78 were shortlisted and the entry by Munna Kushwaha of Mumbai was eventually selected. The winner will be given a cash prize of Rs 75,000.
Earlier, Jaishankar participated in the first meeting of the advisory committee and sub-committees set up to organise the 12th World Hindi Conference.
"Participated in the first meeting of the advisory committee and sub-committees formed to organise the 12th World Hindi Conference. The Modi government is making remarkable efforts for the promotion of Hindi at the international level," Jaishankar tweeted.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
