Question

______stated that as a Congressman and a follower of Mahatma Gandhi he had accepted Hindustani as a language of the nation, but he warned: “if you want my wholehearted support (for Hindi) you must not do now anything which may raise my suspicions and which will strengthen my fears.”

• A. Shri Shankarrao Deo
• B. Jawaharlal Nehru
• C. Sir A. Ramaswamy Mudaliar
• D. T. A. Ramalingam Chettiar

Hint:

To remember this, associate Shankarrao Deo with the "middle ground." He represents the Gandhian perspective in the Constituent Assembly that favored a multi-cultural linguistic approach rather than strict "Hindi imposition."

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The language issue was one of the most contentious debates in the Constituent Assembly during the framing of the Indian Constitution.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
While many members pushed for Hindi to be the sole national language, members from non-Hindi speaking regions feared cultural and linguistic dominance.
Shri Shankarrao Deo, a Gandhian leader from Maharashtra, voiced these concerns.
He stated that while he accepted Hindustani (a blend of Hindi and Urdu) as a compromise language following Gandhi's vision, the aggressive promotion of Sanskritized Hindi was creating fear among non-Hindi speakers.
He warned the "Hindi fanatics" that if they pushed too hard, they would lose the "wholehearted support" of those who were willing to compromise for national unity.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The statement was made by Shri Shankarrao Deo. Thus, option (a) is correct.