Kolkata Woman Asks Metro Passengers to Speak in Hindi Not Bengali, Faces Backlash

Viral Video: In another heated argument about India's official languages, a woman on Kolkata Metro has gone viral for mocking Bengali passengers over not speaking Hindi.

The video shows a woman in the metro saying, "Living in India, you don’t know Hindi? You’re in India, not Bangladesh." The clip, which has gone viral, features her making this comment to another passenger.

In response, another woman says, "I live in West Bengal; it is my state. This is my metro, built with my taxes, not yours. You cannot insult me or call me a Bangladeshi."

The Hindi-speaking woman then replies, "West Bengal is in India. Therefore, people should speak Hindi, which is the national language of India."

Other passengers appeared to be irritated by the argument and asked the women to get off the train. The two, however, continue their argument.

As the Bengali woman records the conversation on her phone, the Hindi-speaking woman objects to it, and even to sue her for "recording without consent". "You will go to jail," she says and continues to mock her.

An X user, Abhinaba Pal, shared a video of a similar incident, which quickly gained widespread attention on social media.

Watch the video:

The Language Debate In India

The language debate has been raging in India for decades. Maharashtra Nav Nirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray is known for his push to force people from outside the state to learn Marathi. The issue has also gained attention in Karnataka, where there have been umpteen conflicts among the public over the Kannada-vs-English & Hindi use. A week rarely passes by without a video of a Kannada-speaking person arguing with another from outside the state going viral.

Is There A National Language In India?

There is no national language in India. While Hindi is a widely spoken language, it is NOT the national language. A total of 22 languages have been granted the status of recognised languages in India as per the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India.

As per the  Official Languages Act, 1963, Hindi and English are the official languages of India. This means that these two can be used for all official government, administrative, and judicial communications. The Constitution has no provision for any preferential treatment of languages.