Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin accused the Centre of imposing Hindi on those states where Hindi is not the mother tongue and alleged the forced adoption of the language swallowed several Indian languages.
In a post on X, he wrote, "The push for a 'monolithic Hindi identity' is what kills ancient languages. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were never 'Hindi heartlands'... their real languages are now relics of the past."
Stalin strongly opposed the three-language policy in Tamil Nadu, saying that the push for a "monolithic Hindi identity" is what 'killed' the "ancient mother tongues".
My dear sisters and brothers from other states,
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) February 27, 2025
Ever wondered how many Indian languages Hindi has swallowed? Bhojpuri, Maithili, Awadhi, Braj, Bundeli, Garhwali, Kumaoni, Magahi, Marwari, Malvi, Chhattisgarhi, Santhali, Angika, Ho, Kharia, Khortha, Kurmali, Kurukh, Mundari and… pic.twitter.com/VhkWtCDHV9
The CM also listed several Indian languages such as Bhojpuri, Awadhi, Braj, and Garhwali, which are now struggling to survive.
"My dear sisters and brothers from other states. Ever wondered how many Indian languages Hindi has swallowed? Bhojpuri, Maithili, Awadhi, Braj, Bundeli, Garhwali, Kumaoni, Magahi, Marwari, Malvi, Chhattisgarhi, Santhali, Angika, Ho, Kharia, Khortha, Kurmali, Kurukh, Mundari and many more are now gasping for survival. The push for a monolithic Hindi identity is what kills ancient mother tongues. UP and Bihar were never just 'Hindi heartlands.' Their real languages are now relics of the past. Tamil Nadu resists because we know where this ends," the post read.
On Wednesday, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) President Selvaperunthagai announced protests against Union Home Minister Amit Shah during his visit to Coimbatore on February 26, accusing him of pushing the three-language policy and the New Education Policy, as well as allegedly attacking former Law and Justice Minister Bhimrao Ambedkar in Parliament.
"Our Union Home Minister will visit Coimbatore. Democratically we are going to protest against him by showing black flags. He is continuously attacking Tamil Nadu and is against the state government's proposals. Three language policy, the Prime Minister Education Scheme and the New Education Policy. He attacked Baba Saheb Ambedkar in the Parliament, so whenever he will come to the state, the Congress Committee has decided to protest against him by showing black flags," TNCC chief Selvaperunthagai told reporters on Tuesday.
Tamil organisations and state parties have also announced protests against Amit Shah's visit, stating that they will show black flags to the Union Home Minister. They have accused the central government of trying to impose Hindi on Tamil Nadu, though the Union government has maintained that it respects the Tamil language and is not forcing any other language on the state.
