Will populism be the central theme of another Tamil Nadu election?
Tamil Nadu woke up to a heated, intense Twitter debate on Sunday. “Hindi theriyaadhu, poda!”, which roughly translates to “Get lost, we don’t know Hindi”, was trending on the social media platform. It had overtaken all the other primetime news playing out on television channels.
With elections drawing closer, the ever-simmering pot of Hindi imposition is being rekindled, for the political returns can be bountiful depending on the way it’s churned. It is, hence, not surprising that Hindi ‘imposition’ remains the rallying cry of the DMK. The party has the unique advantage of being the champion of the cause. Its job has been made easy by the larger political environment in the country that has supplied ample fodder.
The release of the National Education Policy that contains a three-language learning formula came at a favourable time for the DMK, which turned it into a campaign issue. Even before the matter could abate, senior DMK leader M Kanimozhi was allegedly asked “Are you an Indian?” by a CISF personnel at an airport for saying that she does not know Hindi. The icing on the cake came in the form of an advertisement banner put up by a public sector bank, quoting eminent personalities, including Mahatma Gandhi, calling for Hindi to be made the common language.
If the DMK is successful in its campaign, poll pundits feel this chain of events is likely to impact the BJP’s political prospects in the state. In fact, reasons to believe the current campaign was an orchestrated effort, instead of being an organic one, are many—the involvement of celebrities, pre-designed clothes and accessories, and the fact that it hit a crescendo on a Sunday morning.
While a large group believes the issue is not just relevant politically but also socially, there is concern that it could drown out other major issues that need focus—including the state of the economy and public healthcare systems that are in the doldrums due to the pandemic. If this trend continues, populism will be the central theme of yet another election in Tamil Nadu.