MK Stalin has accused the Union government of attempting to impose Hindi.
Hours after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin accused the Centre of imposing Hindi on non-Hindi speakers, Home Minister Amit Shah urged the state government to introduce medical and engineering courses in Tamil. Mr Shah claimed that the DMK chief has not done enough in this regard and that it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government that has made key changes to recruitment policies to accommodate regional languages.
"Till now, there was no place for the mother tongue in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) Constable recruitment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided that our youth will now be able to write their CAPF exam in all languages in the Eighth Schedule, including Tamil," said Mr Shah. "I want to urge the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu to take steps towards introducing the curriculum of medical and engineering courses in Tamil language as soon as possible."
The Centre had approved the conduct of the CAPF examination in 13 regional languages, including Tamil, in 2023, days after Mr Stalin had protested the decision of the CAPF to conduct it only in Hindi and English.
In a long social media post today, Mr Stalin accused the Union government of attempting to impose Hindi through the National Education Policy (NEP). He cited the BJP's efforts as a threat to Tamil Nadu's linguistic identity.
"The tree may prefer calm, but the wind will not subside," Mr Stalin said, arguing that the controversy was provoked by the Union Education Minister's remarks.
"It was the Union Education Minister who provoked us to write this series of letters when we were simply doing our job. He forgot his place and dared to threaten an entire state to accept Hindi Imposition, and now he faces the consequences of reviving a fight he can never win. Tamil Nadu will not be blackmailed into surrendering," he said, adding that Tamil Nadu had already achieved what the NEP aimed for by 2030.
"This is like an LKG student lecturing a PhD holder. Dravidam does not take dictations from Delhi. Instead, it sets the course for the nation to follow," he said.
He also took aim at the BJP's recent signature campaign supporting the NEP and the three-language formula.
"Now the BJP's circus-like signature campaign for the three-language formula has become a laughing stock in Tamil Nadu. I challenge them to make this their core agenda in the 2026 Assembly elections and let it be a referendum on Hindi imposition," Mr Stalin wrote.
The National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, recommends a three-language formula, though it explicitly states that no language will be imposed on any state. Despite this, the policy has found no traction in Tamil Nadu, where the ruling DMK insists that the existing two-language system is sufficient.
The DMK argues that Tamil Nadu has flourished under the current system and sees no need for an additional language. Conversely, the BJP maintains that the three-language formula would benefit people when they travel to other states.
Citing historical precedents, Mr Stalin claimed that every attempt to impose Hindi on Tamil Nadu had been met with resistance, leading either to the defeat of the proponents or their eventual alignment with the DMK.
"History is clear. Those who tried to impose Hindi on Tamil Nadu have either been defeated or later changed their stance and aligned with DMK. Tamil Nadu will not tolerate Hindi colonialism replacing British colonialism," he said.
He further accused the Union government of excessively using Hindi in the names of schemes, awards, and government institutions, which he said was suffocating non-Hindi speakers.
"From the names of schemes to awards to Union government institutions, Hindi has been imposed to a nauseating extent, suffocating non-Hindi speakers, who are the majority in India," he declared. "Men may come, men may go. But even long after the dominance of Hindi is shattered in India, history will remember that it was DMK that stood as the vanguard."
Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai hit back at Mr Stalin, accusing him of orchestrating a "fake drama" over Hindi imposition.
"Thiru MK Stalin, our online signature campaign through PuthiyaKalvi.in is supported by over 2 lakh people within 36 hours, and our on-ground signature campaign continues to receive an overwhelming reception across TN. As the TN CM, you seem visibly rattled, and your rants against the signature campaign mean nothing to us," Mr Annamalai posted on social media.
