(i) According to the constitution, the use of English for official purposes was to stop in 1965.
(ii) However, many non-Hindi speaking states demanded that the use of English should continue. In Tamil Nadu, the movement took a violent turn.
(iii) The Central Government responded by agreeing to continue the use of English along with Hindi for official purposes. Many critics think that this solution favored the English speaking elite.
(iv) Promotion of Hindi continues to be the official policy of the government of India.
(v) Promotion does not mean that the central government can impose Hindi on states where people speak a different language. The flexibility shown by Indian political leaders helped our country avoid the kind of situation that Sri Lanka finds itself in.
