Hindi Touted To Be New Official Language Of J And K, Kashmiris Call It Imposition

A day before Jammu and Kashmir became officially became a union territory, Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) national secretary, Tarun Chugh said that now Hindi will be the first and official language of the state.

“The best thing is that now Urdu will no longer be the first and official language of the state. Hindi will be the first and official language of the state,” Chugh said on October 30.

While the majority in the Jammu region uses Hindi to read, write and converse; the language remains highly unpopular in the area of Kashmir where the standard writing system from textbooks to official documents remains to be in Urdu.
Many Kashmiri people told The Logical Indian that the move appears to be an attack on the diverse cultural fabric of the Northern-most region and imposition of ‘Indian cultural ethos’.

“The selected rulers of the state are hell-bent to destroy our cultural identity. The majority of the population doesn’t even understand Hindi. We are Urdu speaking people. India wants to destroy its identity. They are now trying to invade our languages and culture,” said Sameer Showkin Lone, Kashmiri journalist, and employee at Niti Aayog.

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