The correct option is No single language is the mother tongue of the majority..
Explanation
The linguistic demographics of India are officially recorded during the decennial Census. While the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution lists recognized languages, the statistical determination of a "majority" relies on Census data regarding mother tongues.
Analysis:
- No single language is the mother tongue of the majority. is Correct: In a demographic context, a "majority" requires a share exceeding 50% of the total population. According to the 2011 Census, Hindi is the most spoken mother tongue, accounting for approximately 43.63% of the population. Since this figure is below 50%, no single language constitutes the mother tongue of the absolute majority of the Indian population.
- Hindi is the mother tongue of the majority. is Incorrect: Although Hindi is the largest linguistic group (a plurality), it does not cross the 50% threshold required to be classified as a majority.
- Bengali is the mother tongue of the majority. is Incorrect: Bengali is the second most spoken language in India, accounting for approximately 8.03% of the population.
- Telugu is the mother tongue of the majority. is Incorrect: Telugu is the fourth most spoken language (after Marathi), accounting for approximately 6.7% of the population.
Key Takeaway: India possesses high linguistic diversity; while Hindi is the most widely spoken language (plurality), there is no single language spoken by the majority (>50%) of the citizens as their mother tongue.