Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has once again voiced strong opposition to the alleged imposition of the Hindi language on Tamil Nadu and other southern states, urging the central government to respect linguistic diversity. Stalin emphasized that southern states have never demanded that northern states learn their languages and questioned the perceived one-sided approach.
Taking to social media platform X, Stalin wrote, “A century has passed since the Dakshin Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha was set up to make South Indians learn Hindi. How many Uttar Bharat Tamil Prachar Sabhas have been established in North India in all these years? Truth is, we never demanded that North Indians must learn Tamil or any South Indian language to ‘preserve’ them. All we ask is to #StopHindiImposition on us. If BJP-ruled states want to teach three languages or even 30, let them! Just leave Tamil Nadu alone!”
Stalin also questioned why students from northern states are not required to learn a third language when southern students are asked to do so. In a post on March 3, he wrote, “Some guardians of lopsided policies, wailing in great concern, ask, ‘Why are you denying Tamil Nadu students the opportunity to learn a third language?’ Well, why don’t they first say which third language is being taught up north? If they had just taught two languages properly there, where’s the need for us to learn a third?”
Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin echoed this sentiment, issuing a strong warning against the central government’s perceived attempts to impose Hindi on the state. He reaffirmed Tamil Nadu’s rejection of the New Education Policy (NEP) and any form of Hindi imposition, stating that the state’s stance is clear on preserving its linguistic identity.
Meanwhile, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan defended the NEP 2020, emphasizing the importance of promoting all Indian languages equally. Speaking in Haridwar, Pradhan asserted that the NEP’s three-language policy does not aim to impose Hindi but seeks to give equal importance to all Indian languages.
“National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 should give importance to Indian languages… All Indian languages have equal rights, and all should be taught in the same way. This is the objective of the NEP. Some people in Tamil Nadu are opposing it for political purposes. We have not said anywhere in the NEP that only Hindi will be taught,” Pradhan said.
The Tamil Nadu government remains firm in its opposition to the NEP 2020, specifically criticizing the three-language formula and accusing the central government of attempting to impose Hindi under the guise of educational reforms.
