Chennai: The proposed Hindi Month closing ceremony and Golden Jubilee celebrations of Chennai Doordarshan have sparked controversy, with various political parties condemning the event as an imposition of Hindi. Amidst this, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging caution against celebrating Hindi Month in non-Hindi speaking states.
In his letter, Stalin emphasized that the Indian Constitution does not grant national language status to any language, and Hindi and English are only for official purposes. He suggests avoiding Hindi language programs in non-Hindi speaking states. “If the Union goverment still wants conduct such events they can simultaneously celebrate local language months to promote harmony among languages,” Stalin suggested.
I strongly condemn the celebration of Hindi Month valedictory function along with the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Chennai Doordarshan.
Hon’ble @PMOIndia,
The Constitution of India does not grant national language status to any language. In a multilingual nation, celebrating…
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) October 18, 2024
PM Modi Govt Faces Opposition from CM Stalin Over Hindi Month Celebrations in Tamil Nadu
The Tamil Nadu CM’s letter highlighted the concerns about linguistic diversity and representation, sparking essential discussions about language politics in India.
The Hindi month celebration event, scheduled for this evening at Doordarshan Tamil, has been criticized by parties including Congresss, CPM and Viduthalai Chiruthagal Katchi (VCK) in the DMK alliance. VCK chief Thirumavalavan criticized the removal of “Podhigai” from Doordarshan Tamil division earlier, seeing it as part of the national education policy. Ramadoss, founder of the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), demanded cancellation of the event, questioning Chennai Doordarshan’s contribution to Tamil language and culture over the past 50 years.
Meanwhile, DMK’s students wing plan to protest outside Doordarshan TV station on Sivananda Road in Chennai this evening where Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi is scheduled to attend the ceremony as the special guest.
The opposition has argued that celebrating Hindi Month in non-Hindi speaking states belittles other languages and contradicts the Indian Constitution’s language policies and claimed that this was an Hindi impostion attempt. As tensions rise, the event’s fate remains uncertain.
