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Hours after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin accused the Centre of imposing Hindi on non-Hindi speakers, Union Home Minister Amit Shah fired back, urging the Tamil Nadu government to introduce medical and engineering courses in Tamil.
Addressing a public event, Mr. Shah asserted that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) chief had not done enough to promote Tamil in professional education. He claimed it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government that had taken concrete steps to accommodate regional languages in recruitment and education.
“Until now, the mother tongue had no place in the CAPF (Central Armed Police Forces) recruitment process. It was PM Modi who ensured that aspirants can now write their CAPF exams in all languages listed in the Eighth Schedule, including Tamil,” Mr. Shah said.
He then turned the challenge back to Mr. Stalin: “I urge the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister to take immediate steps to introduce medical and engineering curricula in Tamil.”
Mr. Stalin has been a vocal critic of the Centre’s National Education Policy (NEP), accusing it of pushing Hindi at the expense of regional languages. He framed the BJP’s language policies as an existential threat to Tamil Nadu’s linguistic identity.
“The tree may prefer calm, but the wind will not subside,” he remarked, suggesting that the controversy was provoked by the Union Education Minister’s insistence on Hindi promotion.
“It was the Union Education Minister who provoked us with threats of Hindi imposition, forcing us to respond. He has now revived a battle that he cannot win. Tamil Nadu will not surrender to blackmail,” Mr. Stalin declared.
Doubling down on his opposition, he dismissed the Centre’s stance with a sharp analogy: “This is like an LKG student lecturing a PhD holder. Dravidam does not take dictation from Delhi; instead, it leads the nation.”
Mr. Stalin also took aim at the BJP’s recent signature campaign supporting the three-language formula under the NEP.
“The BJP’s circus-like signature campaign has become a laughing stock in Tamil Nadu. If they truly believe in it, let them make it their core agenda for the 2026 Assembly elections and face the people’s verdict,” he challenged.
Despite the NEP explicitly stating that no language will be imposed, the policy has faced resistance in Tamil Nadu, where the DMK argues that the existing two-language system (Tamil and English) has served the state well. The BJP, on the other hand, insists that learning Hindi would give Tamilians an advantage when traveling or working in other parts of India.
Citing historical precedents, Mr. Stalin claimed that past attempts to enforce Hindi in Tamil Nadu had always failed.
“History is clear. Those who tried to impose Hindi on Tamil Nadu were either defeated or later changed their stance to align with the DMK. Tamil Nadu will not allow Hindi colonialism to replace British colonialism,” he declared.
He further accused the Centre of excessive Hindi usage in government schemes, awards, and institutions.
“From scheme names to government institutions, Hindi has been imposed to a nauseating extent, suffocating non-Hindi speakers—who, let’s not forget, are the majority in India,” he said.
Tamil Nadu BJP President K. Annamalai dismissed Mr. Stalin’s remarks as political theatrics.
“Thiru MK Stalin, our online signature campaign via PuthiyaKalvi.in has received over 2 lakh supporters in just 36 hours, and our on-ground campaign is gaining momentum across Tamil Nadu. Your nervousness is evident, but your rants against our movement mean nothing to us,” he posted on social media.
With both sides digging in, the Tamil Nadu-Hindi debate shows no signs of cooling down anytime soon.
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