Hindi is mask, Sanskrit the hidden face: Tamil Nadu CM on Hindi imposition
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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin (file photo)
Chennai: Intensifying his opposition to the Centre’s alleged Hindi imposition, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin reiterated that the state would not accept any forced promotion of the language, vowing to safeguard Tamil and its cultural identity.
“Hindi imposition will be opposed. Hindi is the mask, Sanskrit is the hidden face,” Stalin stated in a letter to DMK cadres, emphasizing his party’s long-standing resistance to linguistic hegemony.
The ruling DMK has consistently accused the Centre of attempting to impose Hindi through the three-language formula under the National Education Policy (NEP), a claim the Union government has denied.
Stalin alleged that several North Indian languages, including Maithili, Brajbhasha, Bundelkhandi, and Awadhi, once widely spoken in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh, had been “destroyed by hegemonic Hindi.”
“More than 25 North Indian native languages have perished due to the invasion of Hindi-Sanskrit dominance. The century-old Dravidian movement has successfully protected Tamil and its cultural heritage through awareness and continuous struggles,” the DMK chief said.
He maintained that Tamil Nadu’s opposition to NEP stems from its alleged attempt to impose Hindi and Sanskrit through education. While the BJP has argued that NEP’s third language could include foreign languages, Stalin claimed that “only Sanskrit is being promoted in many states.”
He cited the BJP-ruled Rajasthan government’s appointment of Sanskrit teachers over Urdu instructors as an example of this trend.
“If Tamil Nadu accepts the three-language formula, our mother tongue will be sidelined, paving the way for future Sanskritisation,” Stalin warned.
He further argued that NEP provisions indicate that other Indian languages could be taught in schools only "in addition to Sanskrit," while Tamil and similar languages are relegated to online learning.
“This clearly shows the Centre’s intent to marginalize Tamil and promote Sanskrit,” the Chief Minister alleged.
Stalin invoked Dravidian leader and former Chief Minister C N Annadurai’s firm stance on the two-language policy in Tamil Nadu, stressing that it was implemented to prevent the imposition of Aryan culture through Hindi and Sanskrit at the cost of Tamil heritage.
With PTI inputs