Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on June 19, 2025, sparked debate with Shah’s English Speaker Claim. He stated that a time will soon arrive when English speakers in India “feel ashamed” of their language choice.
His remark, fueling the English Usage Debate, underscores a push for native languages, as per Amit Shah’s Language Remark reported by web sources.
Speaking at a book launch event here, Shah asserted that people who do not speak Indian languages lose their Indian identity and that “foreign languages” cannot adequately convey India.
Hum sab ke jeevan mein, iss desh mein, angrezi bolne waalon ko sharm aayegi, aise samaj ka nirmaan ab door nahi … Aur main maanta hoon, hamare desh ki bhashayein hamari sanskriti ka gehna hain … hamare desh ki bhashaon ke baghair hum Bharatiya hi nahin rehte. Hamara desh, iska itihas, iski sanskriti, hamara dharm, isko samajhna hai to koi videshi bhasha mein nahin samajh sakte.
It won’t be long before we live in a society where people who speak English are ashamed. Our nation’s languages, in my opinion, are the crowning glory of our culture. We wouldn’t have been Bharatiya without them. If understanding our nation, its history, its culture, and our Dharma is necessary, it cannot be done in a foreign language.
Shah made this statement during the launch of Khud Sagar Hoon, written by IAS officer Ashutosh Agnihotri and titled Main Boond Swayam.
According to the Home Minister, “half-baked foreign languages” cannot adequately capture the essence of India.
“Only Bharatiyata can help us do it, only Bharatiya languages can do it. I know that this fight is tough, but I strongly believe that Bharatiya society will win this fight.”
Once again, with pride, we will run our country using our languages; we will think, research, find solutions and also lead the world” Shah stated.
The BJP-DMK Language Clash has gotten more intense with Amit Shah’s English Speaker Claim. The central government, led by the BJP, has been embroiled in a language dispute with the Tamil Nadu government, led by the DMK, which accuses it of imposing Hindi.
According to online sources, these conflicts, which were brought to light on June 20, highlight the intricate linguistic dynamics in Tamil Nadu politics and are a reflection of larger claims of Hindi imposition.
The Center has refuted this, claiming that Hindi is not made mandatory by the three-language formula. Shah did not, however, specify which Indian languages could serve as a link language in a linguistically heterogeneous nation.
