NEW DELHI, June 20: Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday launched a pointed critique against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), accusing them of denying the underprivileged access to English education while their own children study abroad and converse in the language.
In a post shared on social media platform X, Rahul Gandhi strongly endorsed the role of English in uplifting India’s youth, calling it a bridge to employment and confidence. “In today’s world, English is as important as your mother tongue — because it will provide employment and boost your confidence,” Gandhi stated.
“English is not a dam, it is a bridge. English is not a shame, it is power. English is not a chain — it is a tool to break the chains,” he added, in a clear attempt to reframe the narrative around the colonial-era language that continues to be India’s most prominent medium for global engagement.
Rahul Gandhi accused BJP and RSS leaders of double standards, stating that while they discourage the learning of English among India’s poor, their own children benefit from elite education abroad. His post included a video featuring young men and a list of Union Ministers whose children study in prestigious international institutions such as the University of Pennsylvania, Yale University, Warwick University, Oxford University, Tufts University, and the University of London.
“The BJP-RSS don’t want poor kids of India to learn English — because they don’t want you to ask questions, move ahead, and become equal,” he alleged in his Hindi-language message.
The comments from the Congress leader come shortly after Union Home Minister Amit Shah made controversial remarks at a Hindi book launch event on Thursday. Shah, while responding to concerns about the status of Hindi, said: “Mark my words, there is no crisis. In the coming years, such an Indian society is soon going to become a reality in which English-speaking people would themselves feel ashamed.”
Shah had further argued that knowledge gained through foreign languages is often half-baked and insufficient to truly grasp India’s culture, history, and religion. He reaffirmed Hindi’s central role in national unity.
Rahul Gandhi’s remarks, however, went beyond just advocating for English. He also made a strong case for linguistic diversity, criticising the perceived imposition of Hindi on non-Hindi-speaking states such as Tamil Nadu. “Every language of India has soul, culture, and knowledge. We have to cherish them, and at the same time, teach English to every child. This is the path to an India that competes with the world, that gives every child an equal opportunity,” he asserted.
