Chennai: A group of women from Ayapakkam panchayat near Ambattur in Chennai protested against the Central Government's trilingual policy by drawing kolams (rangoli) in front of their houses.
The rangolis were drawn on a 2 km stretch of road in front of over 100 houses in the Ayapakkam panchayat housing board. The rangolis in English and Tamil read, 'Don't impose Hindi', 'Don't cheat Tamilians', 'Don't create language war again' and others. The women from the locality said the rangolis were a mark of protest against alleged imposition of Hindi by the Central Government on Tamil Nadu. They said they are comfortable with Tamil and English. "Tamil should be used as a medium of communication in Central Government offices," the locals said. They further alleged the Central Government is collecting GST from Tamil Nadu but is not giving the state its share of funds. Tamil Nadu is the pioneer in everything including education in India, they said.
The locals said let those who are interested study Hindi. "There are many Hindi speaking people working in all places including banks and railway stations in Tamil Nadu. Therefore, Hindi should not be forced here. Women are not free in North India; but they are free in Tamil Nadu," they added. Recently, INDIA bloc parties had come together to protest against the Central Government accusing it of repeatedly encroaching upon state rights. The parties highlighted issues such as denial of budget allocations and non-release of educational funds.
