Chennai: If there is a perception among people of Tamil Nadu if they were at the receiving end – whether Cauvery issue or NEET or Neduvasal hydrocarbon project – they have one more reason to feel aggrieved now.

Apparently, English is being removed from the signage on national highways passing through the state and replaced with Hindi.

Taking up this issue, MDMK leader Vaiko described it as another way to impose Hindi, which he said would be fought. Likewise, threatening an agitation against the centre’s apparent move to impose Hindi was PMK founder S Ramadoss if the move was not dropped forthwith.

On Thursday, Ramadoss alleged that the central government was imposing Hindi by erasing names of towns written in English and painting the names in Hindi. Many foreign tourists were facing problems as the names were no longer in English, he said.

He said names of towns on the national highways passing through Dindivanam and Krishnagiri were now in Hindi. This is being done at the behest of the Central Government, he alleged.

Taking a similar line was Vaiko of MDMK.

He alleged that some people were trying to impose Hindi and alleged that the names of the places on milestones on NH 75 and NH 77 were being written in Hindi instead of English as earlier.

English continued to be used in deference to wishes of non-Hindi speaking state like Tamil Nadu, Vaiko said, as per the promise made by the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

MDMK and PMK were not so long ago were allies of the BJP in NDA formation, but had broken away for the general elections in 2014 and today oppose the BJP.

The opposition to Hindi and allegations of imposition of Hindi kindle memories of the anti-Hindi agitation of the late sixties in Tamil Nadu that brought Dravidian parties into power, replacing Congress party. The Congress is yet to gain prominence as a political party in the state since then.