CHENNAI: Terming the union BJP government’s decision to give Hindi names to the legislation to replace the Indian Penal Code, the Indian Evidence Act, and the Code of Criminal Procedure as “the BJP’s audacious bid to supplant our identity with Hindi”, Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin on Friday vowed to oppose this attempt resolutely.
The chief minister, in a statement here, said the union BJP government has attempted 'recolonization in the name of decolonization.'
“The audacious attempt by the union BJP government to tamper with the essence of India's diversity through a sweeping overhaul - Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and Bharatiya Sakshya Bill - reeks of linguistic imperialism. This is an affront to the very foundation of INDIA’s unity. BJP and Prime Minister Modi have no moral right to even utter the word Tamil hereafter,” Stalin said.
The DMK president also said in the crucible of history, Tamil Nadu and DMK have emerged as the vanguards against such oppressive overtones. “From the Anti-hindi agitations to safeguard our linguistic identity, we have withstood the storm of Hindi imposition before, and we shall do it again, with unyielding determination. The fire of resistance against Hindi Colonialism is ablaze once more. The BJP's audacious bid to supplant our identity with Hindi will be opposed resolutely,” he added.
Meanwhile, DMK MP P Wilson expressed shock at the Hindi names given to three legislations.
"Maybe the Hon. Union Home Minister has not seen Article 348 of the Constitution of India? Names of Bills & Acts must be in English. This is yet another form of Hindi imposition. South Indian lawyers are going to spend most of the time in courts trying to pronounce these names," Wilson said in a statement here.
The DMK MP also recalled that when the union government tried to introduce legislation with a Hindi name in Parliament, he had opposed the same and the union finance minister had clarified that the name of the Bill was only in English but the Hindi portion should have been in brackets. "Now in the case of these 3 Bills, the name is entirely in Hindi. This must be corrected at once," he added.