Seeking to put to rest the controversy over his remarks on Hindi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said he has never asked for imposition of Hindi anywhere in the country but advocated its use as the second language.

MK Stalin calls of protests post-Amit Shah's clarification on his Hindi Diwas speech

Following Amit Shah’s clarification on his Hindi Diwas statement, DMK called off its state-wide protest which was to be held on September 20. MK Stalin met the Governor on Wednesday evening post which the protest was called off. Various personalisites and politicians like Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan had opposed the idea of imposition of Hindi in the country. Rajinikanth had earlier said on Wednesday that one official language may good for the progress and development of the country but it sadly cannot be implemented in India.

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"I too come from a non-Hindi speaking state. I come from Gujarat where Gujarati is the language, not Hindi. One has to listen to my speech carefully. If someone wants to do politics, it is their choice," he said at an event.

The Home Minister was referring to his speech on the occasion of Hindi Divas on Saturday where he made a pitch for a common language - Hindi in this case- serving as a unifier for India, drawing strong reaction from southern parties which vowed to oppose any attempt to "impose" Hindi.

Home Minister says people should listen to his speech carefully to clear confusion

The Home Minister said to end the confusion, people should listen to his speech carefully where he said that Indian languages should be strengthened and people should realise the necessity of the Indian languages.

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"A child can perform, a child's proper mental growth is possible only when the child studies in the mother tongue. Mother tongue does not mean Hindi. It is the language of a particular state, like Gujarati in my state. But there should be one language in the country, if someone wants to learn another language, it should be Hindi. I have just made a request. I have failed to understand what is wrong in that," he said. 

READ | MK Stalin Slams Amit Shah for 'One Nation, One Language' Speech