Maharashtra follows Tamil Nadu-style in opposing Hindi imposition: Stalin

Chennai: As the once-warring Uddhav and Raj Thackeray came together to oppose Hindi imposition, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday said the struggle to protect their language by the DMK and the people of Tamil Nadu against “imposition of Hindi” has now transcended boundaries and is “swirling like a storm” in Maharashtra.

He also warned the BJP should atone for its “betrayal” against Tamil and Tamil Nadu at least now failing which the saffron party and its ally AIADMK, the state’s principal opposition party, will be “taught a lesson that they will never forget” from the people.

The DMK has already made language and Hindi imposition key features of its 2026 assembly elections campaign.

Stalin asked whether the BJP-led Union Government will change its vindictive stance against Tamil Nadu by releasing Rs 2,152 crore which it withheld since the state refused to implement the three-language policy, which is nothing but an indirect tool to impose Hindi and Sanskrit.

“Will it immediately release the funds which it owes to Tamil Nadu? The struggle of the people of Tamil Nadu against Hindi dominance is not merely emotional, but intellectual and logical. We have been struggling to protect India's pluralistic culture, and our protests have never been driven by hatred,” Stalin added.

He also said that the BJP, which acted against the law of the land by refusing funds for Tamil Nadu, has been forced to back down for the second time in Maharashtra, a state governed by the party, due to fear of an uprising from the people.

“The enthusiasm and powerful oratory of a rally held today in Mumbai under the leadership of Uddhav Thackeray against Hindi imposition fills us with immense excitement. I know well that the Union government, which prioritizes the promotion of Hindi and Sanskrit full-time, has no answers to the questions raised by Raj Thackeray,” he said.

He also asked “naïve individuals” who claim learning Hindi will help get jobs must reform after watching the uprising in Maharashtra and accusing them of being unaware of the history of numerous Indian languages being destroyed due to Hindi imposition and failing to understand the agenda of turning India into a Hindi nation.

“We will not allow the discrimination in fund allocation for Tamil or the arrogance of refusing to recognize the Keezhadi civilization to continue,” Stalin added.

Tamil Nadu, one of the first states to oppose Hindi, has witnessed at least three massive agitations against the language’s imposition in 1938, 1953, and 1965. Following the massive agitation in 1965, the Union Government amended the Official Languages Act to ensure the continuation of English as the official language.

In 1968, the two-language policy of Tamil and English came into force and is still in force, with Hindi being taught only in schools that follow CBSE syllabus.