- Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam opposes Amit Shah’s remarks on Hindi imposition
- TVK calls Hindi imposition a discrimination against non-BJP-ruled states
- TVK demands that Amit Shah withdraw his Hindi Day statement on the role of Hindi
Actor Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam or TVK has vehemently opposed Union Home Minister Amit Shah's comments on Hindi, calling it yet another attempt to impose the language on non-Hindi-speaking states. This, the party added, is also discrimination against non-BJP-ruled states and is against federalism.
"The Union government, even after failing to impose Hindi, it is constantly trying to impose it," read a statement from TVK propaganda and policy general secretary Arunraj.
"Discriminating against non-BJP ruled states, non-Hindi states and giving importance to one specific language is against federalism," the statement added, calling upon Mr Shah to withdraw his statement on Hindi day where he mentioned that Hindi will play an important role in self-reliant India.
The Union government should embrace all states, languages, and religion. this only will lead to holistic growth of the country, the TVK said.
TVK chief Vijay, who had declared his party's political opposition to the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu and the BJP, earlier criticised the alleged Hindi imposition by the Centre through the three-language policy.
His party had said that Mr Shah's comments on English language are a "direct" assault on Tamil Nadu's two-language policy.
On September 14, Mr Shah had said that Hindi should not be viewed as a rival to other Indian languages, but as their companion.
"I always say that Hindi is not a competition to Indian languages. Hindi is a friend of Indian languages. There are no conflicts between them," he had said in his Hindi Diwas address.
The resistance to teach Hindi in schools of the south is being spearheaded by Tamil Nadu and its ruling DMK. The state has a two-language policy and is under Central pressure to introduce a third.
The DMK has alleged that the National Education Policy would enforce a cultural homogenization that would rob India of its diversity and the southern states of their distinct cultural identity.
Chief Minister MK Stalin and his son Udhayanidhi Stalin have claimed that multiple Indian languages are suffering because of the shift to Hindi and some languages are dying out for lack of use.
