Bihar CM Nitish Kumar's Frequent Outbursts Over Use Of English Words Are Rooted In 'Angrezi-Hatao' Ethos Of His Ideological Mentor Karpoori Thakur

Irked over the use of two English words on the display screen inside the state legislative council, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday (22 March) pulled up the council chairperson Devesh Chandra Thakur.

The CM was upset after he spotted two English words on the display screen that was telecasting house proceedings — "honorable" and "speaking time".

“Iska kya matlab hai? Kya aap log chahte hain Hindi khatm ho jaaye (What is the meaning of this? Do you want Hindi to be wiped out)?" a visibly irked Nitish Kumar demanded to know from Thakur.

"What does these mean? Why do you write in such a way in Bihar? Why are you even displaying it? Everything should be in Hindi," the CM ordered.

Thakur quickly attempted to pacify the CM, saying that only a few words were in English and the rest of the ticker was in Hindi. He assured the CM that the correction would be done by the evening.

The CM's outburst against even the occasional use of English words comes close on the heel of another incident when he lost his cool at a public event for similar reasons.

In February, an upwardly mobile farmer in Bihar earned the wrath of the CM for using too many "English words" while narrating his entrepreneurial journey in agriculture.

Interjecting during the speech by Amit Kumar, a farmer from the Lakhisarai district, during an event organised to mark the launch of the state's fourth agriculture roadmap, the CM launched a diatribe against the excessive use of English words.

Barely a few minutes into his speech interspersed with English words like food production, consumption and incentivisation, the agro-entrepreneur was stopped by the visibly upset CM, who remained in his seat but interjected using a handheld microphone.

"I want to point out to you the incongruity of using so many English words. Is it England? You are working in Bihar, practising agriculture which is the profession of the common folks," said the CM, evoking applause from the crowd.

"How can you forget the Hindi language of our state and country? I am really shocked. You are a farmer and farming is done by common man. You have been called to give suggestions and you are speaking in English. Is this England? This is Bharat and you are in Bihar." the CM added.

A Follower Of Ram Manohar Lohia-Karpoori Thakur 

CM Nitish Kumar draws ideological inspiration from socialist leaders like Ram Manohar Lohia and Karpoori Thakur, who championed the cause of vernacular languages as one of the many tools to remove social inequality.

Thakur served the state of Bihar as chief minister twice — first from 22 December 1970 to 2 June 1971, and again from 24 June 1977 to 21 April 1979.

During his second tenure as CM of the Janata Party government, Thakur implemented 33 per cent reservation for the backward classes in government jobs in Bihar, a precursor to the implementation of Mandal Commission nationally.

The Thakur government also passed a circular that officers using English in administrative work would be punished and that all communication between the central government and the state should be done in Hindi and that English could be used only after obtaining special permission.

The circular evoked a sharp reaction from the then Tamil Nadu chief minister M G Ramachandran and reignited discussion over role of Hindi as a 'national' language. Thakur himself clarified that the use of Hindi, in no way, meant the abandoning of the three language formula and even introduced Tamil as one of the languages to be taught in Bihar schools.

Interestingly, Thakur's attempt to introduce Tamil in Bihar was opposed by a section of Muslim community in the state.

"We won't tolerate Tamil being imposed on us at the cost of Urdu in the name of national integration because not even one per cent of the people here speak Tamil," said Maulana Wali Rahmani, a Muslim leader.

A significant section of Muslim leadership in the state was advocating elevation of Urdu as the second official language by amending the Bihar Official Language Act, 1950. 

During his earlier tenure as deputy chief minister and education minister of Bihar, Thakur introduced some controversial policies, including removing English as a compulsory subject in the matriculation examinations.

His language policies evoked sharp reactions in the state. Students who passed the matriculation examination with third division (without English) were derisively called "passed with Karpoori division".

Thakur, however, stood firm in his belief that students from marginalised communities and rural backgrounds often failed in the examination due to English as a compulsory subject. As the students couldn't qualify for matriculation, the students were not eligible for higher education and hence lost the employability opportunity, he argued.

As part of the anti-angrezi campaign, English typewriters were removed from the secretariat, English was abolished from schools and colleges, and a new system — 'pass without English' — was introduced. English was made optional in the Bihar Public Service Commission. 

Thakur believed that the gulf between government and people is preserved by the use of English in administration and prevents people from experiencing the true benefits of a democratic society.

Nitish Kumar's policy of total prohibition and sub-quotas within the OBC category also draws inspiration from Thakur.