India’s BJP warns of severe backlash if Hindi not recognised

Kantipur Report

KATHMANDU, Aug 18 - Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the main opposition and the second largest party of India, Monday floated a ‘proposal’ to Nepal to accept Hindi as the second national language, and warned of ‘serious consequences’ if Hindi not reconnised as the major languages of Nepal. The BJP has said that if the new government of Nepal takes any policy against the Hindi language, Hindu religion and India, it would affect the lives of over 7 million Nepali people residing in India. In the wake of the election of the Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal as the new prime minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, the BJP leaders have increased relations with the Madhesh-based party leaders to pressurise the Maoist-led government for the constitutional recognition of Hindi in Nepal, saying that the Hindi language has been popular in Nepal’s southern plains, bordering India, as the second language of communication. Meanwhile, breaking the previous trend of visiting India by the newly elected prime ministers, as the maiden tour to the foreign countries, Prime Minister Dahal today decided to visit China. Dahal is leaving for China on Saturday to take part in the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics to be held on August 24.