Is the union government planning a new round of Hindi imposition? According to reports, the 11th report of the Committee of Parliament on Official Languages has recommended that Hindi be made the medium of instruction in all central universities, technical and non-technical institutes across the country. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has reacted sharply asking why there is a need to make Hindi the medium of instruction when there are 22 languages in Schedule 8 of the Indian Constitution that have equal status.
In a statement, the Chief Minister said, “India’s strength lies in its diversity. The BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) government is trying to destroy the diversity under the guise of ‘one nation’ by imposing one language, one religion, and one culture on the people. This is a threat to India’s diversity.” He added that the report submitted by the Committee mentioned that if government officials do not speak in Hindi, they will be given a warning and action will be taken against them. Stalin said that this preferential treatment given to Hindi over the other languages is unconstitutional and such a move is a threat to the integrity of the nation.
“When there was an attempt to impose Hindi in 1965, young Tamil people were agitated, immolated themselves and took bullets to their chest to protect the Tamil language. One must not forget this history,” the Chief Minister said. He added that English and Hindi were made the official languages in 1968 and now there is a need to make all 22 languages in Schedule 8 as official languages.
“The BJP is not respecting the Constitution and has been making continuous attempts to impose Hindi. This move is impractical and is divisive as it creates the impression that Hindi speakers are Indian citizens while the others are second-class citizens,” Stalin said, adding that any state with a love for its language will oppose this move.
Asking the union government not to impose another language war on Tamil Nadu, the Chief Minister said, “Do not stoke the fire of our language consciousness. I request the Prime Minister to stop trying to impose Hindi on the country and protect its unity.”
Tamil Nadu MP P Chidambaram also reacted to the report and said that this is “proof that the Modi government is determined to impose Hindi on non-Hindi speaking states. He tweeted that non-Hindi speaking states will oppose this move and said, “The consequences of the confrontation between the Modi government and the non-Hindi speaking states will be disastrous for the country.”