NEW DELHI: Former cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin made a strong statement as the chief guest at a college event in Tamil Nadu, saying, Hindi is not the national language of India but merely an official language.
He made these comments on Thursday while attending the convocation ceremony of a private college. During the event, Ashwin asked the students which language they preferred for his address.
While some opted for English, the majority favoured Tamil. Interestingly, there was no response when he mentioned Hindi.
“Hindi? No response. I thought I should clarify—it is not our national language but an official one,” the former Indian bowling all-rounder said in Tamil.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu’s BJP chief K Annamalai also validated off-spinner’s comment, saying, “Correct. It is not our national language which Annamalai is also telling you. Not only my dear friend Ashwin has to say that. It is not the national language. It was a link language, it is a language of convenience.”
Ashwin, the second-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket for India, recently announced his retirement from all formats of international cricket.
