Row breaks out over imposition of Hindi

Chennai/ New Delhi: A huge controversy broke out in Tamil Nadu on Saturday over the three-language formula with political parties warning of a language war over "attempts" to impose Hindi even as the Centre stepped in to say that there was no intention to impose any language on anyone.

Leaders cutting across party lines in the state said the state has a history on the language issue and would not tolerate any imposition.

DMK president MK Stalin said the BJP government at the Centre should not even think in their dreams about the three-language policy and warned that such "greedy" things will cause them disaster.

"In Tamil Nadu, having a two-language policy is like honeycomb and BJP is trying to throw a stone at it by inflicting a three-language policy again," he said.

The comments came in the wake of the draft education policy prepared by the Kasturirangan Committee, which spoke of continuation of the three-language formula in the schools.

TNCC president K S Alagiri said people of Tamil Nadu will not allow the imposition of Hindi in the state. He said Congress was not opposed to any language and it was up to the students to learn any language of their choice.

MDMK president Vaiko warned that a language war will break out if any attempt is made to impose language in Tamil Nadu while a rebel AIADMK leader TTV Dinakaran said any such proposal would destroy Indian's pluralism and make Tamils second class citizens.

Actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) founder Kamal Haasan said, "I have acted in many Hindi films. However, in my opinion, Hindi should not be imposed on anyone."

As the controversy snowballed, the Centre dismissed apprehensions on the issue and said there was no move to impose any language on anyone.

"Only a report has been submitted on the new education policy.

Government has not taken any decision on it. It has not even considered it and therefore the misunderstanding that the government has decided on the new education policy is not true.

After we will get the public feedback, then only it will come up before the government. More importantly, the Modi government has always promoted all Indian languages and therefore there is no case of or intention of imposing any language on anybody.

We want to promote all Indian languages," Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar told the media. "It is a draft prepared by the committee on which a decision will be taken only after we get the public feedback," he said.­