New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah's call to culturally unify India with Hindi as it's national language on Saturday triggered a row with several opposition leaders training their guns at him asking him to reconsider his appeal as it "poses a danger to national unity". Speaking as chief guest at a function to grace Hindi Divas, Shah said that while unity in diversity is India's defining trait, a common language is needed as a culturally unifying factor. "While diversity in languages is the strength of our nation, a national language is needed so that foreign languages and cultures do not overpower our own," he said proclaiming that next year, the Hindi Divas event would be a public programme, as Hindi belongs to the people.

He said that the government would take Hindi Divas outside Delhi, and would celebrate a Hindi Saptah across the country. He called Hindi the heart and soul of the freedom struggle. "Our power to express our culture will die in the absence of our national language," he said. Leading the attack, DMK chief MK Stalin asked Shah to take back his remarks and said they pose "a danger to the national unity." "After BJP came to power for the second consecutive time, there has been continuous attacks on the Tamil language. DMK has been waging its protest against Hindi imposition. Amit Shah's remarks have come as a jolt to us. Such comments pose a danger to the unity of the country," he said.