Three-language policy is a political move against India’s pluralism and democracy, says Thiruma

CHENNAI: Slamming the BJP-led Union government’s attempt to impose Hindi on non-Hindi speaking states as anti-Constitutional, VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan stated that there is a continuous effort to convert non-Hindi speakers, including those from South India, into Hindi speakers. He described this as an attempt by the BJP government to implement its policy of “one nation, one culture, and one language” to undermine the nation’s pluralism. However, he stressed that such an attempt would never succeed in Tamil Nadu.

“The imposition of Hindi is a pre-planned political move under the guise of implementing the National Education Policy. The intention is to convert non-Hindi speakers into Hindi speakers within the next ten years. This is what we oppose. It is shocking that the Union government is unwilling to change its stance. It goes against the Constitution and democracy,” Thiruma told journalists at Chennai Airport on Tuesday.

It was not only the BJP but also Congress, during its rule in the 1960s, that had attempted to impose Hindi, he said. “We opposed it then, and we oppose it now. If Congress comes to power again and tries to impose Hindi, we will oppose it once more,” said the Chidambaram MP, indicating that there would be no compromise on the state’s bilingual policy.

Under the PM SHRI scheme, the Centre is establishing schools that insist on the teaching of three languages. In these schools, students are required to learn their mother tongue, English, and a third Indian language. However, there is no clarity regarding the third language option in Hindi-speaking states. “People whose mother tongue is Hindi or English only learn two languages. But there is an ongoing effort to force people who speak other languages to learn Hindi alongside their mother tongue and English,” he said, questioning the rationale behind this approach.

Leaders in the INDIA alliance should understand this. Just because they are part of a coalition, they should not be forced to align with the language policy. The alliance parties, including the DMK, are firmly opposing this, Thirumavalavan added in response to a question regarding some leaders in the INDIA bloc supporting the NEP and the three-language policy.