The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Tuesday, October 18, adopted a resolution against the imposition of Hindi and urged the union government not to implement recommendations of the report of the Parliamentary committee on Official Languages. The resolution, piloted by Chief Minister MK Stalin, contended that the recommendations submitted to the President on September 9, are against the state languages including Tamil and also against the interest of the people who speak those languages.
"The House expresses concern that the recommendation of the Parliamentary Committee, now presented, are against the two-language policy resolution moved and passed by Perarignar Anna in this august House, contrary to the promise made by the then Prime Minister Thiru Nehru to the non-Hindi speaking states and are against the use of English as Official language ensured by the resolutions passed in 1968 and 1976 on Official language," the resolution said.
The resolution was passed unanimously by the House. All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader O Panneerselvam said his party favoured the dual language policy of Tamil and English in the state.
The Chief Minister wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 16 regarding the imposition of Hindi saying that there are continuous efforts being made by the union government to impose the language in non-Hindi speaking states. MK Stalin said, “The report includes a recommendation that Hindi shall be made the medium of instruction in all technical, non-technical institutions and all Union government institutions including Kendriya Vidyalayas.” The letter added that the report recommends that people would be eligible for certain jobs only if they had studied Hindi. “These are all against the federal principles of our constitution and would harm the nation’s multi-lingual fabric,” the CM further said.
Stalin also said that the attempts to impose Hindi were “impractical and divisive in character and put non-Hindi speaking people in a very disadvantageous position in many respects, further saying in his letter that “This will unacceptable not only to Tamil Nadu but also to any state that respects and values their mother tongue.