CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday moved a resolution in the Assembly urging the Centre not to implement the recommendations made in the Report of the Parliamentary Committee on Official Language. The recommendations, submitted to the President on September 9, are against State languages and the interests of the people who speak them, the resolution said. It was passed with overwhelming support, including from AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam.
Before moving the resolution, Stalin spoke about the adverse impact of the proposal to make Hindi mandatory in Union government-run higher education institutions and the increase of official usage of Hindi. He cited news reports that said the Parliamentary panel recommended that besides making Hindi a medium of instruction, Union government authorities who are not using Hindi should be warned, Hindi knowledge of aspirants should be ensured in Union Public Service Examinations, and letters by Central government offices and ministries should be in Hindi.
“Under the garb of strengthening Hindi in Hindi-speaking States, they are desperate to strengthen Hindi all over India. If they want to make Hindi the medium of instruction from Kendriya Vidyalayas to IITs, they will alienate students of non-Hindi States from these institutions,” Stalin said.
“By neglecting English they are stopping English knowledge. Even though they pretend to support non-Hindi States’ languages, their heart beats only for Hindi,” he added and said, “If the love they claim to have for other Indian languages is indeed true, I would like to ask if they are ready to make all languages in the 8th Schedule of our Constitution official languages on a par with Hindi.” He also highlighted the adverse impact of removing the English paper from competitive exams.
BJP’s floor leader Nainar Nagenthran opposed the resolution and said no efforts are being made to impose Hindi. Later, the BJP members staged a walkout against the resolution.