Hindi not international language, no need to learn it, says Minister

VELLORE: There is no need to learn Hindi, as it is not an international language, also, it is not spoken by people in all states, said Higher Education Minister K Ponmudy in Vellore on Monday.

Interacting with students of Muthurangam Government Arts College regarding the state government’s ‘Naan Mudhalvan’ scheme, he said that the Dravidian major was neither angry at nor against Hindi.

It was enough if Tamil Nadu students learnt Tamil and English in schools and colleges. You need English when you interact with international students whereas you need Tamil to converse locally, he reasoned.

Recalling that it was former chief minister M Karunanidhi, who introduced Tamil in colleges, the Minister said it was Karunanidhi who allowed English medium students to also write exams in Tamil. It was during the DMK rule in 2006 that engineering subjects were taught in Tamil, he pointed out.

Referring to the Dravida model, he explained it was not politics based, but an effort by the government to ensure that the poor and the downtrodden were able to enjoy all benefits.

Those present included Collector Kumaravel Pandian, MLAs P Karthikeyan and AP Nanda Kumar and former DMK MP Mohammed Saqhy.