February 3, 2018
Chennai : Once again, the Hindi issue or rather the opposition to “imposition of Hindi” is gaining ground in Tamil Nadu and what is more, the two Dravidian parties are seemingly on the same page when it comes to opposing what they term as BJP’s aggressive attempts at forcing Hindi on everyone.
The latest provocation is the budget speech partly in Hindi which has not gone down well with people here in the state, with many questioning the move and fearing that it might pave the way for a full-scale attempt to force Hindi down their throats.
BJP Tamil Nadu unit president Tamilisai Soundarrarajan urged the people not to politicise the budget speech and defended the finance minister for choosing to speak in both English and Hindi.
Even before the budget speech of finance minister Arun Jaitley was made partly in Hindi, DMK working president MK Stalin had warned that centre’s policies were forcing the DMK to think of a 1965 type agitation to protect the people of Tamil Nadu and Tamil language.
At a speech last week, Stalin questioned as to why Modi’s government was undermining Tamil and propping up Hindi language.
Whether it was Kendriya vidyalayas and CBSE schools to signboards on highways to air tickets and train tickets, ATM machines, use of Hindi had increased. Issuing a warning, Stalin had said addressing a gathering last week, “let me remind you: our protests (anti-Hindi agitation) in 1965 had led to a regime change. And the same situation seems to have emerged.”