Tamil Nadu Hindi controversy: Senior DMK member Kanimozhi stated that the ruling party in Tamil Nadu is not opposed to any language; rather, it opposes the ‘imposition’ of Hindi by the central government.
Kanimozhi’s remarks come in the context of ongoing tensions between the DMK government in Tamil Nadu and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the national level concerning allegations of Hindi language imposition.
In an interview with NDTV, she noted that languages can certainly ‘coexist,’ as people from various regions of Tamil Nadu communicate in different languages.
“In many educational institutions, we teach Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam. It’s not that languages cannot coexist. We have people from various parts of the country speaking different languages. So coexistence isn’t an issue, only imposition is,” she remarked.
‘Another language conflict’
Tamil Nadu indicated on February 25 that it is bracing for “another language conflict” as tensions escalate with the central government over the supposed ‘imposition of Hindi’ via the National Education Policy (NEP). Chief Minister Stalin accused the Centre of politicizing education and unfairly withholding vital funding from the state. Previously, Stalin stated that Tamil Nadu would refuse to sign the NEP, regardless of any significant financial incentives offered by the Union government.
In the NDTV interview, Kanimozhi mentioned that the north-south divide has widened due to the failure to adhere to one of the stipulations laid out during the formulation of the education policy.
“When the guidelines were established, it was clear that northern states would learn one southern language and vice versa for the southern states,” she explained.
“Currently, Kerala and Karnataka are learning Hindi. Show me one northern state that has studied any South Indian language,” she added, contending that the three-language principle isn’t necessarily advantageous.
Three-language framework
This has long been a contentious issue between southern states and the central government. The topic gained renewed focus five years ago with the announcement of the NEP. Tamil Nadu finds itself at odds with the Centre over the NEP’s three-language policy, which specifies the study of Hindi, English, and a regional language.
Tamil Nadu has a historical precedent of a ‘two-language’ policy—Tamil and English—and has protested against what it deems as imposition multiple times during the 1930s and 1960s.
The Union Education Minister warned that the state would forfeit approximately ₹2,400 crore in funding for ongoing projects unless it fully adopts the National Education Policy. Chief Minister Stalin labeled this stance as “blackmail.”
We are not opposed to any language; our stance is against the ‘imposition’ of Hindi by the central authority.
The BJP has intensified its push for the three-language scheme in the state, which is set to hold an Assembly election next year. The party is expected to initiate a campaign on March 1.
The BJP has never secured a victory in Tamil Nadu elections. In 2016, it contested all 234 seats but did not win any. In 2021, the party fielded candidates in 20 seats and managed to win four. The BJP gained no Lok Sabha seats from Tamil Nadu in the 2019 and 2024 elections.
