Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has slammed politics over language and asserted that the states whose leaders are furthering it are on a gradual decline.
In an interview with PTI, Adityanath also said huge employment opportunities are being created in Uttar Pradesh, and such narrow politics could harm the prospects for youths.
"New job opportunities are opening up in Uttar Pradesh, jobs are being created. People who are creating a controversy over language can achieve their political interests, but are in a way dealing a blow to employment opportunities for the youngsters," the chief minister said.
"Whosoever they are, they are doing it. This is the reason those states are on a gradual decline," Adityanath said when asked if he was referring to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin.
"They have no other issues and are inflaming emotions to achieve their political interests," the Uttar Pradesh chief minister said.
Adityanath said languages such as Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali or Marathi can become the cornerstone of national unity.
He said the Uttar Pradesh government was teaching languages such as Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali and Marathi to its students. "Does this diminish Uttar Pradesh in any way? Does it make UP look small?" he asked.
The chief minister said everyone believes that Hindi should be respected, but India has adopted the three-language formula.
"This three-language formula ensures that regional languages also get the same respect. Every language has its own speciality which becomes the cornerstone of national unity," Adityanath said.
He said every regional language has its folk traditions and stories that bring out the diversity of the nation and strengthen it.
Adityanath said the Kashi Tamil Sangamam initiative is the best example of this as it brings together India's oldest languages Tamil and Sanskrit.
