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Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Apr 21:
There has been stiff opposition on social media over Odia being replaced with Hindi on milestones along national highways in Odisha, which is viewed as an attempt to impose the national language on non-Hindi speaking people of the country.
Twitterati have been tweeting to register their protest with #StopHindiChauvinism and #stopHindiImposition and urging for corrective measures.
The netigens have posted photographs of milestones that had markings in Hindi and English along NH-316, triggering outrage among them.
My language is successfully removed by GOI (NHAI) and they said they didn't imposed any language over us. #StopHindiChauvinism @CMO_Odisha pic.twitter.com/ZBeeIXXxsX
— ଦେବାଶିଷ~Debasis (@SirDebasis) April 21, 2017
This is how Hindi Imposition looks like in #Odisha. No #Odiya in "National Highway" milestones of Odisha. @SirDebasis @vasantshetty81 pic.twitter.com/0dtMGL5ZAf
— Garga Chatterjee (@GargaC) April 21, 2017
@SirDebasis So, What the Odia liberals are going to say on this? 1st 3Lang policy, then 2Lang policy (without Odia) and what next 1Lang policy(Hindi)?
— ଆଶିଷ କୁମାର (@ashishkumar_tw) April 21, 2017
This is not acceptable. Odia should be there. Let's not link it with other issues. These are for drivers and should be in all 3 languages https://t.co/QEIFge6kOP
— Odia Culture (@OdiaCulture) April 21, 2017
Where's the Odiya signage @PandaJay ?
This looks depressing https://t.co/PQK2sgHuDX— Sohini (@sohinichat) April 21, 2017
@nitin_gadkari Sir, hv u done this type jumlabaaji in Maharashtra or not. https://t.co/QKL5NPBn1c
— ଯାଜପୁରିଆ Jajapuria (@Jajapuria) April 21, 2017
Shameless BJPTards in Orissa with influence from centre imposing Hindi #StopHindiChauvinism pic.twitter.com/P8uIa9v6S0
— Ajith Kumaru (@SeenuTweetz) April 21, 2017
@manassharma2016 @BBSRBuzz @debabrata2008 @subhapa @Naveen_Odisha @narendramodi @rajnathsingh @dpradhanbjp Do u know India is known for its diversity?200 yr old Hindi is going to kill many Indian languages. #stopHindiImposition on #Odias #Odisha
— priyesh123 (@drpriyesh1994) April 21, 2017
Notably, the state was carved out on the basis of language in 1936 and Odia got classical tag in 2014.
On the other hand, an online petition campaign has been launched by www.change.org for all milestones on National Highways in Odisha to be written in Odia.
“We urge the Union Minister for Road Transport, Shri Nitin Gadkari, Union Ministers of State, Road Transport, Shri P Radhakrishnan and Shri Mansukh Mandaviya and the Chairman, National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) Shri Yudhvir Singh Malik to take necessary steps on a priority basis, to ensure that the milestones on NHAI in Odisha are all written in Odia,” it said.
