Amit Shah Declares: English Speakers ‘Will Soon Feel Ashamed’ as India Embraces Native Languages

Amit Shah Declares: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday (June 19, 2025) said that Indians who speak English will "soon feel ashamed" and that the idea of such a society was not far off. He stated that without Indian languages, "we are not real Indians".

Mr. Shah was heard making these statements at the launch of a book by the former IAS officer Ashutosh Agnihotri. The speech was posted by ANI on its X handle, but deleted afterwards. Mr. Shah was heard saying, “In this country, those who speak English will soon feel ashamed — the creation of such a society is not far away."

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“I believe that the languages of our country are the jewels of our culture. Without our languages, we cease to be truly Indian.”

Mr. Shah further said that “our culture, our history, and our religion cannot be understood in foreign languages”. “With self-respect, we will run our country in our own languages and lead the world too,” he added.

Invoking PM Modi's 'Panch Pran' (five pledges) for Amrit Kaal, Mr. Shah said it is now the determination of 130 crore people. In Mr. Modi's Independence Day speech in 2022, while India was celebrating its 75 years of independence, he outlined five pledges - a determination of a developed India; removing the remnant of colonial mindsets; taking pride in our legacy; our strength of unity; and with honesty fulfilling the duty of citizens.

Earlier in July, Mr. Shah launched the Bharatiya Bhasha Anubhag (BBA), or Indian Languages Section, towards providing an organized mechanism, along with all other Indian languages, to ensure momentum towards ''freeing the administration from the baggage of foreign languages".

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Mr. Shah's remarks come at a time when various State governments and regional parties have alleged that the Centre is trying to impose Hindi through the three-language approach in the National Education Policy. The Maharashtra Government's rollout of a three-language system to classes 1 to 5 faced backlash from Marathi groups.

Non-Hindi official States, like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, have protested against Hindi imposition. The Tamil Nadu Government stated that the States will oppose the three-language policy in the National Educational Policy (NEP), as it is only to bring Hindi in the State “through backdoor.”

The Union Government, however, has consistently refuted these claims as well as consistently asserted that “all Indian languages” have an equal place at the table. During the Budget Session, Mr. Shah responded to the Rajya Sabha that his Ministry would engage with States in their languages.

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