Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has reignited the ‘Hindi imposition row’ and criticised the push for Hindi at the cost of regional languages. Giving the example of states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, he warned that ancient mother tongues are “gasping for survival” due to Hindi dominance.
“The push for a monolithic Hindi identity is what kills ancient mother tongues. UP and Bihar were never just “Hindi heartlands,” Stalin wrote in a post on X on Thursday.
He also mentioned over 19 dialects, including Bhojpuri, Maithili, Awadhi, Braj, Bundeli, etc, and claimed that they struggle for survival.
“Ever wondered how many Indian languages Hindi has swallowed? Bhojpuri, Maithili, Awadhi, Braj, Bundeli, Garhwali, Kumaoni, Magahi, Marwari, Malvi, Chhattisgarhi, Santhali, Angika, Ho, Kharia, Khortha, Kurmali, Kurukh, Mundari and many more are now gasping for survival,” read Stalin’s post on X.
Reiterating his stance on the Hindi imposition row, MK Stalin added, “Tamil Nadu resists because we know where this ends.”
‘Over 25 Indian languages destroyed due to Hindi invasion’
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin claimed that ‘hegemonic Hindi-Sanskrit languages destroyed more than “25 north Indian native languages” and said that the century-old “Dravidian movement” safeguarded Tamil and its culture.
“More than 25 north Indian native languages have been destroyed by the invasion of hegemonic Hindi-Sanskrit languages. The century-old Dravidian movement safeguarded Tamil and its culture because of the awareness it created and the various agitations,” the ruling DMK chief said.
Upping the ante against alleged Hindi imposition, the DMK chief said that Hindi is the mask and “Sanskrit is the hidden face”.
What led to revival of Hindi imposition row in Tamil Nadu?
Hindi imposition row revived when Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin and Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin objected to the Centre’s three-language formula as part of the National Education Policy (NEP).
Several party leaders also protested against the alleged Hindi imposition in Tamil Nadu. The state government is against BJP-ruled Centre’s NEP as it claimed that the central is trying to impose Hindi and Sanskrit in the state through NEP.
“If Tamil Nadu accepts the trilingual policy, the mother language will be ignored, and there will be Sankritisation in the future,” he said.
He claimed NEP provisions say that other Indian languages will be taught in schools in “addition to Sanskrit” and that others like Tamil could be taught online.
“This makes it clear the Centre has planned to do away with languages like Tamil and impose Sanskrit,” the CM charged in a letter to the partymen.
