Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin has called for a renewed uprising against the perceived imposition of Hindi, invoking the spirit of the 1967 Tamil language protests. Taking to social media platform X, Stalin shared a photograph of former Chief Minister C N Annadurai and reminded the people of the powerful anti-Hindi movement that defined Tamil Nadu’s political history.
“1967: Anna sat down; Tamil Nadu rose! If any harm comes to the proud Tamil Nadu, let us roar like wildfire! Let us celebrate the victory!” Stalin posted, drawing a parallel between the past struggle and the current situation.
In another post, Stalin reinforced his opposition to the perceived encroachment of Hindi on Tamil Nadu’s linguistic identity. “When you are accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression,” he wrote, asserting that the demand for Tamil’s rightful place should not be mistaken for chauvinism.
He criticized those who accuse his party, the DMK, of being anti-national for standing up for the Tamil language. “Some entitled bigots brand us chauvinists and anti-nationals for the ‘crime’ of demanding Tamil’s rightful place in Tamil Nadu,” Stalin said.
Stalin also took aim at those who glorify the ideology of Nathuram Godse, the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi. “The very people who glorify Godse’s ideology have the audacity to question the patriotism of the DMK and its government,” he stated, while reminding critics of Tamil Nadu’s substantial contributions during key national efforts like the Chinese Aggression, the Bangladesh Liberation War, and the Kargil War.
Highlighting linguistic inequality, Stalin argued that naming the nation’s legal framework in Hindi imposes a burden on non-Hindi-speaking citizens. “Chauvinism is naming the three criminal laws that govern 140 crore citizens in a language that Tamils cannot even pronounce or comprehend by reading,” he remarked.
The Chief Minister also accused the central government of treating Tamil Nadu unfairly despite its economic contributions. “Chauvinism is treating the state that contributes the most to the nation as second-class citizens and denying its fair share for refusing to swallow the poison called NEP (National Education Policy),” he posted.
Stalin warned that the imposition of any single language fosters division and endangers national unity. “The true chauvinists and anti-nationals are the Hindi zealots who believe their entitlement is natural but our resistance is treason,” he declared.
Stalin’s strong words come amid ongoing debates on the three-language policy and concerns over the upcoming delimitation exercise, positioning Tamil Nadu once again at the forefront of India’s language politics.
