Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has intensified his criticism against the alleged imposition of Hindi by the central government, asserting that Hindi and Sanskrit have led to the destruction of at least 25 native North Indian languages. In a strongly worded statement, Stalin accused the Union government of using the National Education Policy (NEP) to promote Sanskrit while sidelining regional languages.
Addressing his party members, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader stated, “Will oppose Hindi imposition. Hindi is the mask; Sanskrit is the hidden face.” He reiterated Tamil Nadu’s firm stance against the three-language formula prescribed under NEP, claiming that it serves as a tool for enforcing Hindi and Sanskrit at the cost of other regional languages.
Stalin argued that Hindi’s dominance has come at the expense of several traditional North Indian languages, such as Maithili, Brajbhasha, Bundelkhandi, and Awadhi. According to him, these languages have been systematically diminished due to the expansion of what he termed “hegemonic Hindi.”
“More than 25 North Indian native languages have been destroyed by the invasion of hegemonic Hindi-Sanskrit languages,” Stalin wrote in his letter to DMK party members. He credited the century-old Dravidian movement with safeguarding Tamil and resisting the imposition of North Indian linguistic and cultural influence.
Tamil Nadu has been vocal in opposing the NEP, alleging that it is designed to impose Hindi and Sanskrit on non-Hindi-speaking states. While the Union government maintains that the policy allows students to choose a third language, including a foreign language, Stalin dismissed this claim.
“According to the three-language policy schedule, only Sanskrit is being promoted in many states,” he alleged. As an example, he cited the BJP-led Rajasthan government’s appointment of Sanskrit teachers instead of Urdu instructors, suggesting a deliberate sidelining of non-Sanskrit languages.
Stalin warned that if Tamil Nadu accepted the trilingual policy, Tamil and other regional languages would gradually be neglected, ultimately leading to what he called the “Sanskritisation” of education.
“The NEP provisions clearly state that other Indian languages will be taught in schools only ‘in addition to Sanskrit.’ This indicates that the Centre plans to phase out languages like Tamil and impose Sanskrit as the primary language of education,” he argued.
Recalling Tamil Nadu’s historic resistance to Hindi imposition, Stalin invoked the legacy of former Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai, who had mandated the state’s two-language policy—Tamil and English—decades ago. This decision, he said, was made to ensure that Tamil Nadu remained free from the influence of “Aryan culture through Hindi-Sanskrit” and to protect Tamil’s rich literary and cultural heritage.
The DMK has consistently opposed the Centre’s alleged attempts to enforce Hindi through educational policies and administrative directives. In the past, Tamil Nadu has seen massive anti-Hindi agitations, including the 1965 protests that played a significant role in shaping the state’s linguistic policies.
As of now, the Union government has not officially responded to Stalin’s latest allegations. However, the BJP has previously denied claims of Hindi imposition, arguing that NEP provides flexibility and autonomy to states regarding language education.
