Hindi 'Swallowed' Many Indian Languages: Tamil Nadu CM Stalin Slams 'Push For A Monolithic Hindi Identity'

Amid the ongoing 'Hindi imposition' row, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday (27 February) stepped up pressure on the Centre, claiming that many Indian languages are "gasping for survival" due to forced adoption of Hindi.

"Ever wondered how many Indian languages Hindi has swallowed? Bhojpuri, Maithili, Awadhi, Braj, Bundeli, Garhwali, Kumaoni, Magahi, Marwari, Malvi, Chhattisgarhi, Santhali, Angika, Ho, Kharia, Khortha, Kurmali, Kurukh, Mundari and many more are now gasping for survival," Stalin said in a post on X.

"The push for a monolithic Hindi identity is what kills ancient mother tongues. UP and Bihar were never just "Hindi heartlands." Their real languages are now relics of the past," the Tamil Nadu CM added.

Tamil Nadu’s DMK government and the Centre have been at odds over the three-language policy under the National Education Policy (NEP).

The latest wave of protests erupted after Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan warned that Rs 2,400 crore in funds for Tamil Nadu would be withheld if the state failed to fully implement the new education policy.

CM Stalin and his son, Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, hit back strongly, accusing the Centre of "blackmail" and declaring that Tamil Nadu was prepared for another "language war."

In response, Pradhan was quoted as saying by NDTV that the Tamil Nadu government was pushing a "false narrative," claiming the state had initially agreed to implement the policy but later backtracked for political reasons.

"Nowhere in the NEP have we suggested the imposition of any particular language in any state... unnecessarily, a political line has been taken (by the Tamil Nadu government)," he said.

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