<p>Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai on Thursday hit out at Chief Minister M K Stalin for warning the Union government not to “force another language war”, saying the ruling DMK was resorting to language politics based on unverified reports to “hide the failures” of its government. </p>.<p>Speaking to the media at the Chennai airport after his return from a study tour to the US, Annamalai said the official stand of the BJP government was that students in the country should learn a third language and it isn’t necessarily Hindi. </p>.<p>He also accused the DMK of unnecessarily raking up the issue based on media reports over recommendations submitted by a committee headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah when the government hasn’t said anything officially. At the same time, Annamalai said the Tamil Nadu BJP will oppose any move by the Centre to “impose Hindi” in Tamil Nadu. </p>.<p>“If someone had imposed Hindi on the people of Tamil Nadu, it was the Congress with whom the DMK is in an alliance. The National Education Policies framed under Congress regimes in 1968 and 1986 had made Hindi a compulsory subject. But it took the BJP and Narendra Modi to formulate a three-language policy in which Hindi is just an option,” Annamalai said. </p>.<p>The ex-Karnataka cadre IPS officer was responding to Stalin’s criticism that the recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee on Official Language that Hindi should replace English as a medium of instruction in central government institutes was “divisive in nature” and asked the Union government not to “force another language war” by imposing Hindi.</p>.<p><strong>‘DMK propaganda’</strong></p>.<p>Annamalai said the BJP will never impose a language and asked the people not to believe “DMK’s propaganda.”</p>.<p>The NEP, released in 2020, emphasizes on a third language other than Hindi and English, he said, adding that the Union government hasn’t said “anything officially” on making Hindi as the medium of instruction in central institutes. </p>.<p>“The DMK which came to power on the language issue didn’t make Tamil compulsory in Tamil Nadu. But the BJP government, realising the importance of mother tongue has made learning mother tongue compulsory till 6th standard. DMK is enacting the language drama to hide its failure and people’s anger at the government led by the party,” Annamalai charged. </p>
<p>Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai on Thursday hit out at Chief Minister M K Stalin for warning the Union government not to “force another language war”, saying the ruling DMK was resorting to language politics based on unverified reports to “hide the failures” of its government. </p>.<p>Speaking to the media at the Chennai airport after his return from a study tour to the US, Annamalai said the official stand of the BJP government was that students in the country should learn a third language and it isn’t necessarily Hindi. </p>.<p>He also accused the DMK of unnecessarily raking up the issue based on media reports over recommendations submitted by a committee headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah when the government hasn’t said anything officially. At the same time, Annamalai said the Tamil Nadu BJP will oppose any move by the Centre to “impose Hindi” in Tamil Nadu. </p>.<p>“If someone had imposed Hindi on the people of Tamil Nadu, it was the Congress with whom the DMK is in an alliance. The National Education Policies framed under Congress regimes in 1968 and 1986 had made Hindi a compulsory subject. But it took the BJP and Narendra Modi to formulate a three-language policy in which Hindi is just an option,” Annamalai said. </p>.<p>The ex-Karnataka cadre IPS officer was responding to Stalin’s criticism that the recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee on Official Language that Hindi should replace English as a medium of instruction in central government institutes was “divisive in nature” and asked the Union government not to “force another language war” by imposing Hindi.</p>.<p><strong>‘DMK propaganda’</strong></p>.<p>Annamalai said the BJP will never impose a language and asked the people not to believe “DMK’s propaganda.”</p>.<p>The NEP, released in 2020, emphasizes on a third language other than Hindi and English, he said, adding that the Union government hasn’t said “anything officially” on making Hindi as the medium of instruction in central institutes. </p>.<p>“The DMK which came to power on the language issue didn’t make Tamil compulsory in Tamil Nadu. But the BJP government, realising the importance of mother tongue has made learning mother tongue compulsory till 6th standard. DMK is enacting the language drama to hide its failure and people’s anger at the government led by the party,” Annamalai charged. </p>
