Malayalam Language Bill, 2025
The Malayalam Language Bill, 2025, aims to promote the Malayalam language as the official language of the State of Kerala and ensure its use for all official purposes, consistent with the Constitution of India. This bill has raised concerns in Karnataka about the impact on minority languages like Tamil and Kannada, yet these concerns stem from a misunderstanding of the bill’s provisions.
Key Provisions of the Bill
- Adoption of Malayalam as the first language for schoolchildren.
- Promotion of Malayalam across various sectors, including the judiciary and IT.
- Allows Tamil and Kannada linguistic minorities in designated areas to correspond with state officials in their languages, with responses provided in the same languages.
- Students whose mother tongue is not Malayalam may receive education in other available languages as per the National Education Curriculum.
- Exemption from Malayalam examinations for students from other states or countries at classes IX, X, and higher secondary levels.
Background and Challenges
An earlier version of this bill, passed in 2015, awaited central clearance for a decade. It was returned after a Supreme Court ruling that bills cannot be indefinitely delayed, prompting the reintroduction of the current version. The central government’s policy highlights the promotion of all Indian languages, provided linguistic minorities' rights are safeguarded.
Implications for Nation-Building
- States like Kerala and Karnataka have multiple linguistic communities, and the linguistic division of states is an approximation, weakened by migration.
- Language policies should consider these realities, avoiding a unilateral cultural agenda focused on any single language.
- All languages should have a rightful place in administration and public life to foster harmony without community hostilities.
Implementation and Cooperation
Mechanisms such as the Inter-State Council, though currently inactive, should be empowered and encouraged to facilitate constructive dialogues across linguistic groups.
