CHENNAI: Asserting that the Tamil race and Tamil language can be protected only by strengthening the state’s autonomy and establishing the state’s rights, Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin on Tuesday told the Assembly that a precise response is being contemplated on the issue and he would make an announcement soon.
Replying to a discussion on a calling attention motion on the language policy in the Assembly, the CM alleged that by imposing Hindi, the present union government is trying to dominate the states, their languages, and ethnic groups. "There is a need to put a decisive end to this," he said.
Stalin alleged that the union government was doing injustice to the states in allocation of funds and imposition of language because they are being considered as vassal states of the union government. "We are therefore under compulsion to take concrete steps to protect the federal nature of India and to win states’ autonomy," he said.
Stalin said leaders of all political parties except the BJP supported the two-language policy that has been in force in Tamil Nadu for six decades. Though BJP MLAs Vanathi Srinivasan and C Saraswathi were present throughout the discussion, they did not counter the charges levelled by leaders of other political parties on the union government.
Pointing out that the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and AIADMK MLA RB Udhayakumar has assured that his party would stand with the government on the two-language policy, CM referred to reports about AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami flying to New Delhi on Tuesday to meet BJP leader Amit Shah (without naming him). "I request him (EPS) to exert pressure on the two-language policy when the meeting takes place," Stalin said.
Udhayakumar, in his speech, recalled how AIADMK leaders - MG Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa - stood by two-language policy and pointed to their efforts for the growth of Tamil language.
In an indirect reference to the union government withholding funds for Tamil Nadu under the Samagra Shiksha scheme as the state has refused to implement the three-language policy under the PM SHRI scheme, Stalin said, "We are not bonded labourers to mortgage the pride of our race for the funds of the union government. If there are stumbling blocks, we have the courage to overcome them"
"We have to hold on to the two-language policy firmly since historically we have seen that if we allow the imposition of another language, it would devour our language. Imposing Hindi will not only be an imposition of a language but will be the destruction of our culture," he added.
DMK MLA Ezhilan Naganathan referred to Hindi names being given to numerous schemes of the union government. "This is an indirect step to make Tamils get accustomed to Hindi," he added.
T Velmurugan (TVK) explained how Tamil is being ignored in airports. He said Andhra Pradesh government has made learning Telugu mandatory for all schools including CBSE and International Baccalaureate between standards 1 to 12. Chief Minister MK Stalin should ensure such situation in Tamil Nadu for learning Tamil.
K Selvaperunthagai (Congress) asked why the union government was trying to impose Hindi on Tamil Nadu people since they can choose whichever language they wish to study.
GK Mani (PMK), ER Eswaran (Kongu Nadu Makkal Desiya Katchi), T Ramachandran (CPI), Nagai Maali (CPM), P Abdul Samad (MMK), and K Chinnappa (MDMK) also spoke on this issue.
Aloor Shanawas (VCK) said the three-language policy is there in the northern State for namesake only. The government should accept all 22 languages as official languages and should create infrastructure for learning all of them. "As of now, there is no facility for students anywhere in India to study the language of their choice as a third language. So, in the name of the third language, the union government is out to impose Hindi," he added.
