Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said on Sunday Hindi would not be imposed on non-Hindi speaking States.
The circular issued by the Official Language Commission for use of Hindi on social media platforms was meant only for Hindi-speaking States of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand.
“For other States, it is optional,” he told journalists here.
He ridiculed Congress leader P. Chidambaram’s statement asking the Centre to be sensitive to regional feelings.
“The circular was issued on March 10 when the Congress government was in office,” the Minister pointed out and deplored the fuss being made without going into the details.