Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, on Saturday, August 5, condemned Union Home Minister Amit Shah's speech about the Hindi language and said that “Igniting the embers of the '1965 Anti-Hindi Imposition Agitations' would be an unwise move”. In his statement, Stalin called Amit Shah's speech - in the 38th meeting of the Committee of Parliament on Official Language - an audacious push for Hindi acceptance and reiterated that Tamil Nadu would reject any form of Hindi hegemony and imposition. Amit Shah said that Hindi is not in competition with any local languages and it should be accepted with any opposition.
On August 4, during the meeting, Amit Shah said that Hindi must be accepted without opposition even if the pace of the acceptance is slow, according to The Hindu. The Home Minister also said that Hindi is not in competition with other languages and the nation will be empowered only by promoting all Indian languages.
Stalin, who opposed Amit Shah's speech, in his statement, said that he strongly denounced Union Home Minister Amit Shah's audacious push for Hindi acceptance. "It's a blatant attempt to subjugate non-Hindi speakers. Tamil Nadu rejects any form of Hindi hegemony and imposition. Our language and heritage define us – we won't be enslaved by Hindi", he further added.
I strongly denounce Union Home Minister @AmitShah's audacious push for Hindi acceptance. It's a blatant attempt to subjugate non-Hindi speakers. Tamil Nadu rejects any form of Hindi hegemony and imposition. Our language and heritage define us – we won't be enslaved by Hindi!… pic.twitter.com/gNiJ2TGtKm
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) August 5, 2023
Many states like Karnataka, West Bengal also have been vehemently resisting #HindiImposition. Honorable Amit Shah, please take heed of the growing resistance, he noted in the statement adding that igniting the embers of the '1965 Anti-Hindi Imposition Agitations' would be an unwise move, he recalled the Anti-Hindi imposition movements that took place back in the 1960s.
Tamil Nadu is one of the very few states which agitate against the imposition of Hindi to non-Hindi speaking states since then the Union government tried to implement the Hindi language to be alone the official language of the country half of a century ago. In 1965, protests erupted in various parts of the state and led to riots in February 1965 - against the Hindi imposition - which killed 70 people.