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Tamil parties met on Wednesday and sent a resolution against ‘Hindi imposition’ on Tamil Nadu to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Kamal Haasan backs MK Stalin’s anti-Hindi stand (PTI File Image)
Actor-politician Kamal Haasan on Wednesday backed MK Stalin’s stand in the ongoing language controversy and accused the Centre of attempting to turn India into “Hindia” by “imposing” Hindi on the non-Hindi speaking states.
His remarks came while attending a meeting of the Tamil parties where a resolution on “Hindi imposition” and against delimitation was adopted and sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The actor was addressing a gathering of over 50 Tamil political parties led by CM Stalin. The parties collectively submitted a joint resolution to PM Modi, urging assurances that any delimitation exercise, if conducted now, would be based on the 1971 population figures and remain unchanged for the next 30 years. This, they argued, would ensure that states that have successfully controlled population growth are not penalised and would encourage others to follow suit.
“The central government is trying to make all states speak Hindi and win polls with a majority. Our dream is ‘India’ and theirs is ‘Hindia’,” Haasan said.
Haasan’s remark was on the lines of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin’s ‘Hindia’ jab at Union Home Minister Amit Shah in 2019 when the latter had said on Hindi Diwas that this is “the one language that marks India’s identity in the world”. Stalin had countered the remark, stating, “This is India, not Hindia”.
Last week, Haasan had warned the Centre, “Tamilians have lost their lives for a language. Don’t play with this.”
The ongoing controversy regarding ‘Hindi imposition’ stems from the three-language mandate in the National Education Policy 2020 – Hindi, English and a local language. The DMK-led Tamil Nadu government has said that it would not let the implementation of NEP take place in the state, waging a war of words with the Centre.
Kamal Haasan, along with several Tamil politicians, has been outspoken about the perceived imposition of Hindi on southern states. This long-standing controversy, which sparked violent clashes in the 1960s — coinciding with an Assembly election at the time — resurfaced last month. The latest flare-up followed a warning from Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who warned that the Centre would withhold funds if its three-language policy was not implemented.
CM Stalin had written to PM Modi, alleging “blackmail”, while deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin warned that Tamil Nadu is ready for another “language war”.
