New Delhi: Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday criticized Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin over his statement that “Hindi swallowed many languages.” Calling Stalin’s remarks a “shallow attempt to divide society,” Vaishnaw said such comments cannot hide poor governance.
Responding to MK Stalin’s post, Ashwini Vaishnaw said, “Poor governance will never be hidden by such shallow attempts to divide society.” He also questioned whether Congress leader Rahul Gandhi agrees with Stalin’s views, saying, “It will be interesting to know what the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi Ji, has to say on this subject. Does he, as MP of a Hindi-speaking seat, agree?”
Poor governance will never be hidden by such shallow attempts to divide society.
It will be interesting to know what the Leader of the Opposition, @RahulGandhi Ji, has to say on this subject. Does he, as MP of a Hindi-speaking seat, agree? https://t.co/Oj2tQseTno
— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) February 27, 2025
What MK Stalin said on Hindi’s impact on regional languages
The controversy started when MK Stalin made a X post criticizing the influence of Hindi on other Indian languages. He claimed that many regional languages have been replaced or are struggling for survival due to the dominance of Hindi.
In his statement, Stalin said, “My dear sisters and brothers from other states, 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.”
He further argued that the push for Hindi as a primary language has led to the decline of several ancient mother tongues. “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. Tamil Nadu resists because we know where this ends. Tamil Awoke; The Culture of the Tamil Race Survived! Some Languages Made Way for Hindi; They Disappeared Without a Trace!”
