Ceding to the Opposition parties’ demands on allowing aspirants to the Civil Services to write their exams in all 22 regional languages, the Government has decided to call an all-party meeting, though no date has been announced.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu told Parliament on Thursday that consultations will be held with parties and stakeholders on the matter after the current session. But, he added that: “As for this year, there is no scope for postponement of examination.”
The row is also threatening to take a Hindi versus non-Hindi colour, with many Opposition parties critical of the Government’s recent announcement regarding not counting English marks for gradation or merit. Parties such as CPI(M), CPI, AIADMK, DMK and Janata Dal (United) have demanded an equitable solution to the problem, urging the Government to make available question papers in all 22 languages.
Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said it was unfair to ‘foist’ a language on others. “For example, we are a State with three diverse regions. Our official languages are Urdu and English. To foist a language on us would be extremely unfair,” he said. On the other side, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Samajwadi Party and Aam Aadmi Party are demanding withdrawal of the CSAT paper and postponement of the preliminary exams. Pappu Yadav, Lok Sabha MP from RJD, the loudest voice in support of the protesting students, said: “It is not a question of English or Hindi. It is a question of the rights of youths who belong to poor, lower middle-class and villages.”
Congress MP Ranjeeta Ranjan said it was not just about Hindi, as some of the translation was even beyond the comprehension of Hindi-speaking students. Pointing out some translation problems Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav gave instances, such as a steel plant being translated as lohe ka ped and North Pole as uttari kambha .
Interestingly, even as the ruling BJP blames the previous UPA regime led by the Congress for sowing the seeds of the problem, and the Congress accuses the BJP of an ‘eyewash’, questioning the relevance of the English exam if its marks were not to be included, student wings of both the parties are at the forefront of the ongoing protests.
Congress-backed National Students Union of India (NSUI) has rejected the Government’s recent decision on English marks, and BJP-backed Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad is demanding a change in CSAT format. Both are demanding postponement of the preliminary exam.
“The Government doesn’t talk about the translation part, which is a major demand of protesters. The CSAT issue is not just about English versus Hindi, it is also about Humanities versus Science. That issue remains unaddressed. Humanities students will continue to be discriminated against,” NSUI said in a press release.
While the Government may have bought some time by announcing an all-party meeting to arrive at a consensus, it needs to turn this crisis into an opportunity by widening the debate on what really makes a good civil servant — reasoning, aptitude, comprehension, mastery over English, science or humanities?