What Happened ?
A fresh Kerala language row has started after eight women MLAs from Kerala walked out of a National Commission for Women (NCW) workshop in Faridabad. The two-day workshop was held on September 7 and 8 for women legislators from different parts of India. The Kerala legislators objected to the exclusive use of Hindi and the lack of proper translation facilities during the programme.
The issue quickly became political. The Leader of the Kerala Opposition named as V.D. Satheesan remarked the organisers of the event and said that the national programmes should respect India’s different languages and cultures because every country has its own Beauty. He also argued that participants comes from non-Hindi-speaking states should not feel pressured to use Hindi at such events where they feel embarrassed and not even know the hindi.
The incident has brought the debate over Hindi and regional languages into the picture. Kerala has a strong relation with the Malayalam, and the state has also taken steps to strengthen Malayalam in their official work and education. The Malayalam Language Act provides for Malayalam as the official language for state purposes and makes it the compulsory first language in government and aided schools up to Class 10.
This latest incident is not simply about which language people speak in the events. It has raised a bigger question about how national programmes should include people from different linguistic backgrounds and respect their country. Kerala leaders have stressed that India’s linguistic diversity should be respected rather than replaced by one common language.
The hindi language debate has also gained more attention because the Union government decided with the proposal to rename the state from Kerala to Keralam, connecting with the Malayalam name of the state. The Lok Sabha passed the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, in August.