Hindi ’imposition’ row: Why Tamil Nadu and Centre are at loggerheads again – ‘those who accepted stand to lose…’

Hindi ‘imposition’ row: The war of words between Tamil Nadu’s ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the centre over the alleged imposition of Hindi language refuses to die down.

On Wednesday, Chief Minister MK Stalin shared a poem by 20th century Tamil poet Bharathidasan (1891-1964) linked to Tamil-Hindi row with a #StopHindiImposition hashtag. During earlier anti- Hindi agitations in Tamil Nadu, Bharathidasan’s songs advocated the antiquity of Tamil language.

A day before, Stalin’s son and Tamil Nadu’s Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin said people of Tamil Nadu will never allow the Centre to ‘dump’ its National Education Policy (NEP) and trilingual policy on them and will launch a ‘Get out Modi’ campaign if any attempt is made to snatch their rights.

“Last time, when you attempted to snatch the rights of the Tamils, people launched a ‘Go back Modi’ campaign. If you try it again with the TN people, this time it will be ‘Get out Modi’ agitation to send you back,” Udhayanidhi said, addressing a well-attended rally by the ruling DMK and its allies on Tuesday.

Stalin warned the Tamil people against the three-language formula or accepting Hindi. “Dharmendra Pradhan asks, ‘why is Tamil Nadu alone opposing this while all other states have accepted?’ There is a reason… several states that accepted Hindi stand to lose their mother tongues… Bhojpuri, Bihari, Haryanvi have nearly died because of infiltration by Hindi,” he said.

Blackmailing accusation

Earlier, Chief Minister Stalin accused Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan of ‘blackmailing” Tamil Nadu by withholding ₹ 2,400 crore in education funds unless the state adopts the National Education Policy (NEP).

“Can the Education Minister say which section of the Indian Constitution makes the three-language policy mandatory? India is a union of states. Education is in the concurrent list. The Union Government does not have monopoly over this. Tamils will not tolerate the audacity of blackmailing them by saying, there will be no funds for Tamil Nadu until we accept the trilingual policy”,” CM Stalin said in a post shared on X along with a purported video of Pradhan talking to reporters in Varanasi on February 15.

In the video, Pradhan is heard saying that Tamil Nadu must follow the Constitution and that the three-language policy is the rule of law.

Pradhan has, however, dismissed the Tamil Nadu government’s opposition to the NEP as ‘politics; and said Centre is committed to implementing the New Education Policy across the country.

Three-language policy in NEP

The Union Minister said there is no imposition of Hindi or any other language on them. “Some friends in Tamil Nadu are doing politics. But the Indian government is committed to implementing NEP and there are certain conditions with NEP,” Pradhan said.

The three-language policy is a long-standing flashpoint between southern states and the centre. The issue resurfaced again since the New Education Policy was announced five years ago. The point of contention between Tamil Nadu and Centre is the NEP’s three-language policy, which mandates the study of Hindi along with English and a regional language.

Tamil Nadu has historically had a ‘two-language’ policy – Tamil and English, and protested against what it calls ‘Hindi imposition’ in 1930s and 1960s as well.

Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections next year

The BJP has stepped up its three-language push in the state, which will vote in an Assembly election next year. The saffron party is expected to launch a campaign from March 1.

The BJP has never won elections in Tamil Nadu. In 2016 it contested all 234 seats but won zero. And in 2021, it fielded candidates on 20 seats and won four. The BJP won no Lok Sabha seats from Tamil Nadu in 2019 and 2024.