New Delhi [India], March 30 (ANI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said that the tendency to divide the country based on language must come to an end. He reiterated that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) remains committed to protecting Hindi and all other Indian languages.

'Some people are unnecessarily creating controversy over Tamil and Hindi languages. However, the BJP is fully committed to protecting Hindi and all other Indian languages, and we are working towards that. There is no competition between Hindi and other Indian languages, but rather a spirit of cooperation among them. Hindi strengthens all Indian languages, and all Indian languages strengthen Hindi,' Rajnath Singh said.

'This trend of dividing the country in the name of language must stop. And if anyone can spread this message effectively and play an active role in it, I believe our sisters can do it in a more impactful way,' he added.

The Defence Minister was speaking at an event organised to commemorate Tamil warrior queen Rani Velu Nachiyar.

His comments come at a time when the Tamil Nadu government, led by MK Stalin, is at odds with the Central government regarding the three-language formula proposed in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the delimitation exercise.

In his speech, Rajnath Singh also highlighted the BJP government's commitment towards women's empowerment, stating that the party has ensured reservations for women in Parliament and state assemblies. He emphasised that without the support and empowerment of women, the goal of building a strong and Atmanirbhar Bharat is impossible.

'We passed the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, ensuring reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies. When I was the party president, I also ensured that women held at least 33 per cent representation within the party organization. Without the support and empowerment of women, building a strong and Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) is impossible,' Singh said.

The Defence Minister also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for focusing on women-led development in the country.

'Today, our Prime Minister has shown complete faith in the strength and power of women. There's a growing focus on women-led development in the country. Before Modi ji, no one ever discussed women-led development,' he said. (ANI)