Union Minister DV Sadananda Gowda on Monday came out in support of Home Minister Amit Shah saying that Hindi is a "unifying" language but nobody is saying that it will boss over the regional languages.
Speaking to , Gowda said, "Hindi is a unifying language, it does not mean it will boss over other regional languages of the country, the three languages formula is accepted by us all. Even Prime Minister spoke on the floor of the House in the last session that all regional languages will be respected."
Gowda's statement came days after Union Home Minister Shah's call to culturally unify India with Hindi as it's national language.
The statement by Shah triggered a row with several opposition leaders attacking him to reconsider his appeal as it "poses a danger to national unity".
Gowda said that the statement given by Shah was for a set of audience who had arrived at the conclave held in honour of the Hindi language, adding even he would have said something on similar lines for Kannada, had it been an event held in honour of the language.
"What Shah said at a conclave held on the occasion of Hindi Diwas for the audience who were present there. If I participated in a conclave on Kannada in New Delhi even I will say that Kannada should be promoted as it is the best language in the world," Gowda said.
Speaking as chief guest at a function to grace Hindi Diwas on September 14, Shah said that while unity in diversity is India's defining trait, a common language is needed as a culturally unifying factor.
Shah, in his address, appealed to people to accept Hindi as the national language to get connected while asserting that the growth of Hindi will never be at the cost of any other language and added that Hindi is the language of coexistence.
He had said there was a unmous consensus for Hindi as a national language in the Constituent Assembly, in spite of the Assembly's sheer diversity.
( With inputs from ANI )