Hindi Imposition Threatens Linguistic Diversity, DMK Will Resist NEP Push: Udhayanidhi Stalin

Chennai:
Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Friday launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led Union government, accusing it of attempting to “indirectly impose” Hindi through the National Education Policy (NEP) and warning that such moves endanger India’s linguistic diversity.

Speaking at the NDTV Tamil Nadu Summit, the DMK leader said the spread of Hindi had already pushed several regional languages in north India to the brink of extinction and asserted that Tamil Nadu would continue to oppose any policy that undermines linguistic pluralism.

“Hindi imposition is not just a Tamil Nadu issue. It has already caused many languages to nearly disappear in other parts of the country,” Udhayanidhi said, adding that Chief Minister MK Stalin’s resistance to the policy had found resonance well beyond the state.

Framing the political climate ahead of the expected Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, the deputy chief minister described the contest as an ideological battle between the Dravidian movement and what he termed “fascist forces.” He stressed that Dravidian ideology was inclusive in nature and rooted in equality rather than dominance.

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“Dravidian ideology unites people through social justice. Tamil Nadu today stands as the social justice capital of India,” he said, drawing parallels with Mumbai as the financial capital and Delhi as the administrative capital of the country.

Criticising New Delhi’s policymaking approach, Udhayanidhi said the Centre often ignores the unique socio-economic realities of states like Tamil Nadu, which is more urbanised and industrialised than many others. He alleged that state governments are frequently sidelined when national schemes and policies are framed.

On the NEP and its three-language formula, he claimed the policy was designed to push Hindi and Sanskrit onto non-Hindi-speaking states under the guise of education reform. The DMK-led government, he said, would not compromise on the state’s long-standing two-language policy.

The deputy chief minister also accused the Union government of weakening federalism by centralising power and using governors and investigative agencies to pressure opposition-ruled states. He alleged that Tamil Nadu was yet to receive nearly ₹3,500 crore in education-related funds and that even disaster relief assistance was being delayed.

“The agenda seems to be one country, one culture, one language. States are being reduced to the status of municipal bodies, controlled remotely from Delhi. This will not make India stronger,” he said.

Highlighting Tamil Nadu’s performance under what he called the “Dravidian model of governance,” Udhayanidhi said the state’s per capita income was 1.74 times the national average, while only 1.43 per cent of its population lived below the poverty line, compared to over 11 per cent nationally. He reiterated the state’s goal of becoming a trillion-dollar economy by 2030.

Concluding his address, the DMK leader asserted that his party would defeat the BJP in the upcoming Assembly elections. “For us, Samadharma—equality, justice, and dignity for all—comes above everything. Strong states, empowered people and equal opportunities are the foundation of a stronger India,” he said.