Who advocated for 'Hindi' to be declared not an Official Language, but a National Language during the debates in the Constituent Assembly?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → R.V. Dhulekar
R.V. Dhulekar, a Congressman from the United Provinces, wanted Hindi to be declared not an Official Language, but a National Language, and his speech of 13 September 1949 sparked off a huge storm in the Assembly.
NCERT (2025-26): “5.1 A plea for Hindi … By referring to Hindi as the official rather that the national language, the Language Committee of the Constituent Assembly hoped to placate ruffled emotions and arrive at a solution that would be acceptable to all. Dhulekar was not one who liked such an attitude of reconciliation. He wanted Hindi to be declared not an Official Language, but a National Language. He attacked those who protested that Hindi was being forced on the nation, and mocked at those who said, in the name of Mahatma Gandhi, that Hindustani rather than Hindi ought to be the national language.…” |