Request You To Avoid Such Banal Statements: Sadhuguru To Nitish Over Hindi Remark Row At INDIA Bloc Meet

Spiritual guru Sadhguru aka Jaggi Vasudev has asked Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to avoid "banal statements" after the JDU leader reportedly snapped at the DMK leader for seeking translation of Hindi speech delivered by Kumar during the recent INDIA alliance meeting.

"Respected Shri Nitish Kumar ji, Hindustan means the land that lies between the Himalayas and Indu Sagara or the land of Hindus not the land of Hindi language. Linguistic division of states was done with the wisdom that all languages in the country will have same status even though there may be big differences in the populations that speak them. Respectfully request you to avoid such banal statements as there are many states with their own language, literature and culture associated with it," Sadhguru said on X, formerly Twitter.

The controversy broke out during the INDIA bloc meeting on Tuesday when DMK leader TR Baalu, unable to comprehend a speech delivered in Hindi by Nitish Kumar, signaled for translation.

RJD Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha volunteered to translate, but Nitish Kumar lost his cool and said, "We call our country Hindustan, and Hindi is our national language. We should be familiar with the language."

Kumar said that India had long ousted the British, and Indians should discard colonial influences. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin also attended this crucial meeting of the Opposition alliance.

The INDIA bloc parties convened for their fourth meeting in Delhi on Tuesday to discuss matters like seat-sharing and campaign strategies for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections.