Battling 'Hindi Imposition', MK Stalin Welcomes Thackeray Cousins' Reunion

Having led the battle against the three-language component of the National Education Policy, which he calls an attempt at 'Hindi imposition' by the BJP, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has welcomed the coming together of Thackeray cousins Uddhav and Raj in support of the cause. 

Uddhav Thackeray, president of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray, who have been fiercely opposed to the three-language policy in Maharashtra, organised the 'Voice of Marathi' rally on Saturday to celebrate the Maharashtra government withdrawing orders on its implementation. The cousins, who shared a stage at a political event for the first time since 2005, hugged and declared that the "distance" between them had been erased. 

Mr Stalin, who is the chief of the DMK, has been at the forefront of the opposition to the three-language formula, under which students in schools are required to learn three languages, including their mother tongue and at least one other Indian language. The DMK chief has claimed that the BJP-led government at the Centre seeks to impose Hindi on Tamil Nadu by making learning three languages compulsory, replacing the two-language policy - Tamil and English - which is currently followed there.

'Storm Of Protest'

In a post on X after the rally on Saturday, Mr Stalin said the struggle for language rights has transcended state boundaries and is finding traction in Maharashtra. 

"The language rights struggle, waged generation after generation by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the people of Tamil Nadu to defeat Hindi imposition, has now transcended state boundaries and is swirling like a storm of protest in Maharashtra," Mr Stalin wrote in Tamil. 

"The BJP, which acts lawlessly and anarchically by stating that funds will be allocated only if Hindi is taught as a third language in Tamil Nadu schools, has been forced to back down for the second time in Maharashtra, where they are in power, due to fear of the people's uprising," he added.

Praising Uddhav and Raj Thackeray for their powerful oratory, Mr Stalin said the Centre had no response for the MNS chief's questions on what the third language would be in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, and why Hindi was being "imposed" on people in progressive non-Hindi speaking states. 

"Hindi-speaking states are economically backward. People are migrating from these states to non-Hindi speaking states. Why didn't Hindi help them progress?" Raj Thackeray had asked in his speech. 

'Vindictive Stance'

Mr Stalin criticised the Centre for not releasing funds because Tamil Nadu is not implementing the National Education Policy and also hit out at those who claim learning Hindi will get people jobs.

"Will the Union government change its vindictive stance of releasing Rs 2,152 crore in funds under the integrated education scheme (Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan) only if Tamil Nadu accepts the new education policy that imposes Hindi and Sanskrit under the guise of the three-language policy? Will it immediately release the funds legally owed for the education of Tamil Nadu's schoolchildren?" the chief minister wrote. 

In an apparent dig at the AIADMK, he said, "Unaware of the history of numerous Indian languages being destroyed due to Hindi imposition and failing to understand the agenda of turning India into a Hindi nation, some naive individuals here parrot phrases like 'learning Hindi will get you jobs'. They must reform now. The uprising in Maharashtra will open their eyes to wisdom!"

Tamil Nadu, the chief minister said, would fight and win, signing off with the hashtag "StopHindiImposition"