Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin shared a poem by Pavendar Bharathidasan against the imposition of Hindi on Wednesday, fueling the ongoing battle between the Tamil Nadu government and the Centre over three-language education policy.
Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin cited Bharathidasan’s poem linked to Tamil-Hindi row. Earlier in the day, Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin demanded that the Union Government should release funds for the state education department.
He also warned the BJP-led Centre to respect the rights of the people of Tamil Nadu or else they “will not hesitate to face another language war.”
“Tamils are people who value love and will never surrender for Intimidating,” ANI quoted Stalin as saying on Tuesday. Earlier, the DMK leader had said, “States that accept Hindi lose their mother tongue.”
Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin protest against imposing a trilingual language policy
Tamil Nadu Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin and many DMK leaders protested against the Centre and demanded the release of funds to Tamil Nadu. The party leaders and volunteers held placards and raised slogans showing their opposition to the imposition of a trilingual language policy in the state.
Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin and ministers, including Anbil Mahesh Poiyamozhi, Sekar Babu, and Ma. Subramanian, DMK MLAs and MPs such as Tamilachi Thangapandian and Kanimozhi Somu, also joined the protest.
Udhayanidhi Stalin attacked Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who earlier said that the Centre “would only provide funds if TN accepts the Trilingual Language policy.”
“To save the Education and Language of our state, I have come here to protest against the Union Government; I have not come to participate in this protest as a DyCM. I have come here to participate in a DMK youth wing cadre. In the union budget 2025, the funds that must be shared with all states were majorly given to Uttra Pradesh and Gujarat states, and Tamilnadu was neglected completely,” ANI quoted Udhayanidhi Stalin on Wednesday.
What is trilingual language policy?
The three-language policy is part of the National Education Policy 2020, which mentions the use of three languages in schools. Two must be Indian languages, and English is not considered one. The policy has been a long-standing flashpoint between southern states and the Centre as it mandates the Hindi language in schools.
Reacting to Dharmendra Pradhan’s comments on Tamil Nadu’s reluctance towards a trilingual language policy, Udhayanidhi Stalin said, “Several states that accepted Hindi stand to lose their mother tongues… Bhojpuri, Bihari, Haryanvi have nearly died because of infiltration by Hindi.”