Chennai: Amid the language row, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin claimed on Thursday that more than 25 north Indian native languages have been destroyed by the invasion of hegemonic Hindi-Sanskrit languages.
DMK, the ruling party in Tamil Nadu, has been very vocal against the BJP-led Union government’s alleged imposition of Hindi in the country.
Vowing to protect the Tamil language and its culture, Stalin wrote a letter to party workers stating he and his party will continue to oppose ‘Hindi imposition’.
“Hindi is the mask, Sanskrit is the hidden face,” he said.
The chief minister claimed several north Indian languages spoken in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh such as Mythili, Brajbhasha, Bundelkhandi and Awadhi have been “destroyed by the hegemonic Hindi.”
“More than 25 north Indian native languages have been destroyed by the invasion of hegemonic Hindi-Sanskrit languages. The century-old Dravidian movement safeguarded Tamil and its culture because of the awareness it created and the various agitations,” he mentioned in the letter, written in Tamil, which was posted on X.
“Ever wondered how many Indian languages Hindi has swallowed? Bhojpuri, Maithili, Awadhi, Braj, Bundeli, Garhwali, Kumaoni, Magahi, Marwari, Malvi, Chhattisgarhi, Santhali, Angika, Ho, Kharia, Khortha, Kurmali, Kurukh, Mundari and many more are now gasping for survival,” Stalin wrote.
“The push for a monolithic Hindi identity is what kills ancient mother tongues. UP and Bihar were never just ‘Hindi heartlands.’ Their real languages are now relics of the past,” Stalin added.
According to the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which the government is trying to implement across the country, the third language could even be a foreign language.
Countering BJP’s theory, Stalin claimed that according to the three-language policy schedule, “only Sanskrit is being promoted in many states.”
He mentioned that Rajasthan, which had a BJP government, was appointing Sanskrit teachers instead of Urdu instructors.
“If Tamil Nadu accepts the trilingual policy, the mother language will be ignored and there will be Sankritisation in the future. This makes it clear the Centre has planned to do away with languages like Tamil and impose Sanskrit,” he said.
Reiterating his government’s stance, Stalin said last week he would not implement the NEP in Tamil Nadu even if the Centre offered to provide Rs 10,000 crore in funds to the state.
