News Brief
Centre-Tamil Nadu Language Row: Pawan Kalyan Bats For Multi-Language India, Takes Veiled Dig At DMK For Anti-Hindi Stance
Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan (Photo: Pawan Kalyan/Facebook)
As tensions persist over Centre and the Tamil Nadu government over the language row, Janasena Party chief and Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan on Friday (14 March) underscored the importance of protecting India's linguistic diversity.
He stated that the nation requires "multiple languages, including Tamil, not just two."
"India needs multiple languages, including Tamil, not just two. We must embrace linguistic diversity—not only to maintain the integrity of our nation but also to foster love and unity among its people," Kalyan said while addressing party workers at an event in Andhra Pradesh's Kakinada district, NDTV reported.
He made these comments during the Janasena Party's 12th foundation day celebrations held in Pithapuram town.
His statement comes at a time when Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin has accused the Union government of imposing Hindi and has refused to implement the National Education Policy (NEP)'s three-language system.
Taking a veiled dig at the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) without explicitly mentioning the party, Kalyan accused Tamil Nadu politicians of hypocrisy.
"I do not understand why some criticize Sanskrit. Why do Tamil Nadu politicians oppose Hindi while allowing their movies to be dubbed in Hindi for financial gain? They want money from Bollywood but refuse to accept Hindi—what kind of logic is that?" Kalyan asked.
On Friday, Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai reiterated the party's position on the three-language formula, stating that while the people of the state do not want a third language, they are willing to learn one voluntarily.
"We are continuously saying that there is a need for a third language. More than 14 lakh people have signed in the signature language. People of Tamil Nadu don't want a compulsory third language which is pushed on them, like Hindi—which Congress did in 1965," Annamalai was quoted as saying by ANI.
Annamalai also accused the DMK of hypocrisy, noting that private schools run by DMK leaders offer Hindi as a subject while government schools do not.
"People willingly want to learn a third language, which is optional. Tamil Nadu is ready; only the DMK is not ready. All the private schools run by the DMK teach a third language; they teach Hindi. Why do they not want the Government school students to learn a third language?" he questioned.
