Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Friday voiced concerns about linguistic diversity and representation, strongly condemning the joint celebration of the Hindi Month valedictory function and the Golden Jubilee of Chennai Doordarshan.
“I strongly condemn the celebration of the Hindi Month valedictory function alongside the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Chennai Doordarshan. Hon’ble @PMOIndia, the Constitution of India does not grant national language status to any one language. In a multilingual nation, celebrating Hindi Month in non-Hindi-speaking states is perceived as an attempt to undermine other languages. Therefore, I propose that such Hindi-centric events in non-Hindi-speaking states should be avoided. Instead, the focus should be on celebrating the local language of each state,” Stalin posted on X.
In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin stressed that the Indian Constitution does not assign national language status to any language, clarifying that Hindi and English are designated only for official purposes. He urged the avoidance of Hindi language programs in non-Hindi-speaking states.
“It has been announced that the valedictory ceremony for Hindi Month, along with the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Chennai Doordarshan, will take place this evening at Doordarshan Tamil in Chennai, with Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi as the special guest. This blatant attempt to impose Hindi is strongly condemned. India is home to 122 major languages and 1,599 other languages. Celebrating only one language in a linguistically diverse country like India is unjustified. In a nation where over 1,700 languages are spoken, especially in a state where the world’s oldest language, Tamil, is spoken, promoting only Hindi undermines the nation’s diversity. The central government should not be responsible for such actions,” Stalin wrote.
Chief Minister MK Stalin expressed that in a multilingual country like India, celebrating Hindi Month in non-Hindi-speaking states is viewed as an attempt to undermine other languages.
In his letter, Stalin suggested that Hindi-centric events in non-Hindi-speaking states should be avoided, and if they must be held, similar celebrations for the local languages should be conducted with equal enthusiasm.
“If the Union Government insists on holding such events, they could simultaneously celebrate local language months to foster linguistic harmony,” Stalin proposed.
He also pointed out that India has no national language, and if Hindi Month is being celebrated, the same recognition should be given to languages like Tamil.
“Whether under Congress or the Bharatiya Janata Party, the imposition of Hindi remains unchanged. As we also celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Chennai Doordarshan, what has it done for Tamil in the past 50 years? Chennai TV could have organized programs showcasing Tamil’s literary strengths. Celebrating only Hindi is unacceptable. Therefore, I request the cancellation of the Hindi Month valedictory ceremony scheduled today at the Chennai Television Station,” Stalin wrote.
Chief Minister MK Stalin further emphasized that the government should organize special events to celebrate the richness of the classical languages recognized in their respective states, which would help strengthen cordial relationships among diverse linguistic communities.
“India does not have a national language. If it is justified to celebrate Hindi Day and Hindi Month because Hindi was declared the official language of the country on 14th September 1949, then the same recognition should be extended to the Tamil language. When the Constitution of India was adopted on 26th January 1950, 14 languages, including Tamil, were included in its Eighth Schedule.
The central government should have declared that day as Tamil Language Day. Moreover, when Tamil was recognized as a classical language on October 12, 2004, the central government should have declared that day as Classical Tamil Day. By celebrating only Hindi, the government is effectively demeaning other languages,” he said.
Earlier today, Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder S. Ramadoss also condemned the Hindi Month celebrations in Chennai, calling it a blatant attempt to impose Hindi, in a post on social media platform X.
source: msn
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