Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin criticized the BJP-led Union government on Monday, alleging an attempt to impose Hindi on the southern state, particularly through the New Education Policy (NEP). He stated that the Centre was not only neglecting Tamil Nadu in the national budget but also imposing its language on the people of the state.
“The Union Government has not allocated any funds to us in the union budget, and Tamil Nadu’s name is absent from the list. After the recent cyclonic disaster in Tamil Nadu, we requested financial aid from the central government, but only SDRF funds were allocated, leaving the state without proper support. The people of Tamil Nadu are watching, and when the time comes, they will respond,” Stalin told ANI.
Stalin further claimed that education, which was previously a state subject, has now been shifted to the concurrent list, allowing the Union government more control. He accused the Centre of trying to impose Hindi on Tamil Nadu, emphasizing that the state’s Chief Minister, MK Stalin, would not accept this move. “The Union government is attempting to impose Hindi on us, but we reject this,” he added.
DMK leader Saravanan Annadurai also targeted Tamil Nadu BJP Chief K. Annamalai for his support of Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s stance on the NEP, particularly the three-language formula. Annadurai referred to Annamalai as a “puppet” of the RSS leadership and criticized his stance. “Annamalai was made the head of Tamil Nadu BJP by the RSS so he could serve their interests. If he truly understood Tamil Nadu’s history, he would oppose the three-language formula,” Annadurai stated.
Annadurai also expressed strong opposition to the idea of studying Hindi, questioning its practical benefits for the people of Tamil Nadu. “Why should we learn Hindi? Will it help us become doctors? Will it help us understand what the Prime Minister says? There is no need for us to learn Hindi to communicate with people migrating to Tamil Nadu. Our educated people are migrating to countries like the USA, the UK, Australia, and China. Studying Hindi offers no real benefit,” he added.
DMK MP Kanimozhi also joined the criticism, emphasizing the distinction between choosing a language and being forced to study it. “Before the BJP came to power, they were teaching German, and now they are forcing Sanskrit on students. What is the benefit of studying Sanskrit? The Union government is imposing language dominance, and that is why we oppose this Hindi imposition,” Kanimozhi said.
On Sunday, BJP leader K. Annamalai had criticized Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin for opposing the three-language formula in schools. Annamalai argued that private schools, where the children of Tamil Nadu ministers study, have been teaching multiple languages, including Hindi, and questioned why government schools couldn’t follow suit. He accused the DMK government of enforcing an outdated education policy and urged that the children of Tamil Nadu should have the opportunity to learn multiple languages to keep up with the changing world.
Annamalai’s remarks came after Stalin criticized Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s comment that the DMK government needed to align itself with the Indian Constitution regarding the three-language formula.
