1. The dispute over official language.

Demands for linguistic reorganization of the states The Official Language:

♤ The issue of the status of Hindi as a national language led to conflict between Hindi speaking and non-Hindi speaking regions of the country.

♤ The issue of a national language was resolved when the constitution-makers virtually

accepted all the major languages as "languages of India".

♤ Being a foreign language Gandhi opposed the idea that English would be an all India medium of communications in free India.

♤ Sharp differences marked the initial debates as the problem of the official language was highly political from the beginning.

♤ Hindi was chosen over Hindustani [written in Devanagari or Urdu script] to be the official language of India The issue of the time-frame for a shift from English to Hindi further caused friction Hindi & non Hindi areas. Proponents of Hindi wanted immediate switch over, while nonHindi areas advocated retention of English for a long if not indefinite period.

♤ Nehru was in favour of making Hindi the official language, but he also favoured English to be continuing as an additional official language.

♤ The constitution provided that Hindi in Devanagari script with international numerals would be India's official language. As for English, it was to be used for all official purposes till 1965, when it would be replaced by Hindi in phased manner. However, Parliament would have the power to provide for the use of English for specified purposes even after 1965.

♤ The constitution mandated the government to promote the spread and development of Hindi & provides for the appointment of Commission & a Joint Parliamentary Committee to review the progress in the respect.

♤ The state legislatures were to classify the matter of official language at state level, though the official language of the Union would serve as the language of communication between the states and the centre & between one state & another.

♤ In 1956, the report of the official language commission set up in 1955 in terms of a constitutional provision, recommended that Hindi should start progressively replacing English in various functions of the central government with effective change taking place in 1965. Two members of commission, one each from West Bengal & Tamil Nadu, dissented this while accusing other members for pro-Hindi Bias.

♤ JPC [Joint Parliamentary Committee] reviewed the report to implement the recommendations of JPC, President issued an order in April 1960 stating that after 1965 Hindi would be the Principal official language, but English would continue without any restriction as the associate official language.

♤ To promote Hindi, according to President's directive, central government took a series of steps to promote Hindi. These includes the setting up of Central Hindi Directorate, publication of standard works in Hindi or in Hindi translation in various fields, compulsory training of central government employees in Hindi and translation of major text of law into Hindi & promotion of their use by the courts.

♤ To allay the fear of nonHindi speakers Nehru in the Parliament in 1959, assured them that English would continue as alternate language as long as the people require it. In

1963, official languages Act was passed. The object of the Act, was to remove a restriction which had been placed by the constitution on the use of English after a certain dates namely 1965.

♤ Due to ambiguity in Official Languages Act caused by the use of "may" instead of

"shall", it attracted criticism.

♤ In protes many non-Hindi leaders, who had earlier demanded slowing down of the replacement of English, now shifted their stand and demanded that there should be no deadline fixed for the transition.

♤ There was widespread protests in Tamil Nadu, some students burnt themselves, Two Tamil Ministers in Union Cabinet, C. Subramaniam & Alagesan resigned, 60 people died due to police firing during agitation.

♤ In 1967 the Indira Gandhi government amended the 1963 official Languages Act. Features of Amended Act:

o The Act put to rest all the ambiguities regarding Nehru's assurance in 1959. It provided the use of English as an associate language in addition to Hindi for the official work at the centre & for communication between the centre and non Hindi states would continue as long as non-Hindi states wanted it.

o Indefinite policy of bilingualism was adopted.

o The states were to adopt a three language formula that is study of one modern Indian language, preferably one of the Southern languages, apart from Hindi and English in the Hindi speaking areas and of Hindi along with the regional languages and English in the non-Hindi speaking areas;

o The Parliament adopted a policy resolution laying down that the public service exams were to be conducted in Hindi & English as well as inall the regional languages with the provision that the candidates should have additional knowledge of Hindi or English.

The Government of India took another important step on language in July 1967. On the basis of the report of the education commission in 1966 it declared that Indian languages would ultimately become the medium of education in all subjects at the University level, though the time from for the changeover would be decided by each university to suit its convenience.