New Delhi: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has accused Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of attempting to impose Hindi on non-Hindi-speaking states and using financial pressure to achieve this goal. His criticism follows the Maharashtra government’s recent reversal of its three-language policy, a move Stalin strongly supports.
Stalin’s condemnation, expressed through a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), centres on the alleged withholding of Rs 2,152 crore in education funds under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan. He claims this action is directly linked to Tamil Nadu’s refusal to fully implement the three-language policy, which he argues promotes Hindi and Sanskrit at the expense of regional languages. He directly questioned the Union government’s commitment to releasing these funds, highlighting the potential impact on the education of Tamil Nadu’s children.
The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s statement also underscores his strong support for the stance taken by Uddhav and Raj Thackeray in Maharashtra. He praised their successful campaign against the three-language policy, viewing it as a continuation of Tamil Nadu’s decades-long struggle against Hindi imposition. He emphasised the shared struggle for linguistic rights across state boundaries and the growing resistance to perceived central government overreach.
Furthermore, Stalin accused the BJP of acting in an “unlawful and anarchic” manner, citing the party’s alleged reliance on financial coercion to promote Hindi. He highlighted the perceived contradiction between the BJP’s actions in Tamil Nadu and its subsequent retreat in Maharashtra, interpreting this as a consequence of public pressure.
He strongly defended the linguistic rights movement in Tamil Nadu, emphasising its intellectual and logical basis, and its importance in protecting India’s diverse cultural landscape. He concluded with a warning that the BJP would face further consequences if it did not atone for its perceived betrayal of Tamil culture and Tamil Nadu.