Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said he never sought imposition of Hindi over other regional languages but advocated its use as the second language.
"I never asked for imposing Hindi over other regional languages and had only requested for learning Hindi as the 2nd language after one’s mother tongue. I myself come from a non-Hindi state of Gujarat. If some people want to do politics, its their choice," Shah said today.
He was referring to his speech on the occasion of Hindi Divas on Saturday where he made a pitch for a common language for India, drawing strong reaction from southern parties which vowed to oppose any attempt to "impose" Hindi.
The home minister said to end the confusion, people should listen to his speech carefully where he repeatedly said that Indian languages should be strengthened and people should realise their necessity.
