Century-old ‘Hindi imposition’ debate back ahead of Tamil Nadu assembly elections | Centre vs State row explained

THe 'Hindi imposition' deliberate in Tamil Nadu is sir thomas more than a century older, unity that, to this daytime, plays a role in the politics in the southern state — particularly ahead of the April 23 assembly election.The MK Stalin-led Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government in Tamil Nadu has made its stance clear: The state "will never accept" the three-language policy. While the Centre has defended the National Education Policy (NEP 2020), saying that it does not intend to impose Hindi on any state, the Tamil Nadu government believes otherwise.From 1930s to 2000s: Roots of Tamil pride and anti-Hindi agitationTamil is one of the world's oldest languages, with a literature and documented history of more than 2,000 years. The Dravidian language is still widely spoken, keeping alive the roots of its pride.The anti-Hindi agitations began prominently in 1937, in the Madras Presidency of the British Raj. In 1937, the Indian National Congress won the elections, and C Rajagopalachari (‘Rajaji’) became the Premier of the Madras Presidency. Within a month of coming to power, Rajaji announced his plans to introduce Hindi as the language of instruction in secondary schools, followed by a policy statement. The move triggered protests led by EV Ramasamy, also known as Periyar, and the then-opposition Justice Party. Despite the agitation, Rajaji issued a government order, making Hindi compulsory in the secondary schools in the Madras Presidency. Periyar's Self-Respect Movement and the Justice Party fully supported the anti-Hindi movement, fuelling the passion for retaining Tamil as the state's main language.Over time, the resistance against Rajaji's order only grew. The anti-Hindi protests even turned violent in some places by 1939, resulting in the deaths of some protestors. During their funeral processions, CN Annadurai glorified the deaths of the agitators, saying that their actions should be scripted in history in golden letters, said a 2022 paper in the Review of Research.Reportedly, there were divisions within the ruling Congress itself, with some leaders suggesting alternatives, to make Hindi a choice rather than a compulsion.Rajaji's resolve, further cemented by these actions, prompted him to issue another government order in 1938. He clarified that it was important for students to learn Hindi and that attendance in such classes would be compulsory. The students should take Hindi in addition to the pre-existing language they are learning, it said.Rajaji's stubbornness drew the anger of the then British Governor, Lord Erskine, who labelled the Premier as too domineering and oppressive.Amid the ongoing protests, Dravidian leaders such as Annadurai and Periyar were reportedly jailed for several months. In October 1939, Rajaji's Congress government resigned in protest against the British administration’s decision to involve India in the Second World War, and thus, the Madras Presidency came under the Governor's rule.Once Governor Erskine presided over the state's administration, Periyar suspended the anti-Hindi agitation and asked him to withdraw the order mandating Hindi in schools. Lord Erskine issued a press communique in February 1940, following which the Madras government withdrew the order of mandatory Hindi learning and made it an optional language.For the time being, the language debate was settled. However, it soon surfaced again in the post-Independence era. The Congress-led Union government, in the 1960s, was steadfast in making Hindi the official language of India.The President of India also gave his assent to the bill, and it was decided that Hindi would become the official language of the nation on January 26, 1965.As the year 1965 approached, Tamil Nadu once again witnessed agitations and riots. Just a day before the official language switch, riots broke out in Madurai and eventually spread across the state, lasting for two months.The newly formed Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) garnered youth support and successfully embedded Tamil nationalism among the state's people. Amid mounting pressure, the then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri finally assured that English would continue as the official language as long as the non-Hindi-speaking states wanted. The PM's word led to the end of the agitation.While there weren't any outright protests thereafter, a silent revolution sat quietly in the background.In 1964-66, the Education Commission, officially known as the Kothari Commission, first proposed the three-language formula, reported news agency PTI.The central government, led by the then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, formally adopted the National Policy on Education (NPE) 1968.In 1986, the then-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi reintroduced the National Education Policy, which affirmed the implementation of the three-language formula. This was again revised by the Narasimha Rao-led Congress government in 1992.The formula was defined as such: "The Three Language Formula provides for a study of a modern Indian language, preferably one of the Southern languages, apart from Hindi and English in the Hindi-speaking States and of Hindi along with the regional language and English in the non-Hindi-speaking States."Fears of Hindi imposition once again triggered protests in Tamil Nadu, with DMK members even burning part of the Constitution, prompting mass arrests, including former chief minister M Karunanidhi.To appease the protestors, PM Rajiv Gandhi eventually assured the state that Hindi would not be imposed. After this, Tamil Nadu continued to follow the two-language policy in its schools.Continued language debateFast forward to 2014, the Union home minister issued an order, directing bureaucrats to use Hindi for posting content on social media, once again, drawing ire from political leaders in Tamil Nadu.DMK chief M Karunanidhi slammed the home ministry's order and described it as the "first step towards relegating non-Hindi speaking people to second-class citizen status," The Hindu reported.He stated that undue urgency on the language issue would divert the nation's attention from key issues. "This is a beginning to impose Hindi on a person against his wishes," Karunanidhi said, recalling the anti-Hindi agitations from the past.However, Kiren Rijiju, who was the minister of state for home at the time, reportedly said Hindi's promotion should not be viewed as "undermining" other languages. Minister Rajnath Singh also said in a post on the new X (formerly Twitter) handle of the home ministry , "The Home Ministry is of the view that all Indian languages are important. The Ministry is committed to promoting all languages of the country."Six years later, came the revised National Education Policy, 2020. The renewed NEP followed the Third Language Bill, 2020, which was tabled and passed in the Parliament.The bill was to “provide for compulsory third language education from primary to senior secondary level in all the schools throughout the country, to make it imperative for such student to study a third language other than Hindi, English or the student's mother tongue from one of the languages mentioned in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution and for making it obligatory for the Central and State Governments to provide requisite infrastructure for the purpose and for matters connected therewith and incidental thereto.”The Third Language Bill states that it would encourage students to learn a third language, thereby "introducing rich literature, new culture and tradition among the school students," and "incorporating third language as a compulsory subject in all the schools," among others.The NEP 2020 followed the bill. According to the policy, "The three-language formula will continue to be implemented while keeping in mind the Constitutional provisions, aspirations of the people, regions, and the Union, and the need to promote multilingualism as well as promote national unity. However, there will be greater flexibility in the three-language formula, and no language will be imposed on any State."The policy clearly states that three languages learned by children at school "will be the choices of States, regions, and of course the students themselves, so long as at least two of the three languages are native to India."The clarifications within the NEP weren't enough. The policy still triggered widespread opposition from Tamil Nadu, especially the MK Stalin-led DMK.Tamil Nadu refused to implement some key aspects of the 2020 NEP, particularly the three-language formula. This reportedly led the Centre to withhold ₹573 crore in central education assistance under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).According to the policy's rule, all states must comply with the NEP guidelines to receive SSA funding, of which 60 per cent is provided by the Centre to states like Tamil Nadu, news agency PTI reported.DMK leaders argued that their resistance against the three-language formula comes from what they described as "Hindi imposition in disguise".Though AIADMK's Edappadi K Palaniswami was in the chief minister's chair at the time, massive protests from the DMK and other firm Dravidian ethicists held centre stage.DMK chief MK Stalin wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the Centre to "halt the implementation" of the NEP 2020. "While the country is reeling from the impact of COVID-19 pandemic and the economy is stagnating, the unilateral decision to approve the NEP 2020 without discussion or deliberation in Parliament undermines the foundational principles of our democracy," Stalin wrote, as per news agency PTI.He further argued that the three-language formula "undermines the glory and dignity of Tamil language and is an affront to the feelings of the people of Tamil Nadu." Stalin expressed DMK's strong opposition to the provisions in the NEP 2020.Hindi imposition debate in focus ahead of 2026 pollsOnce again, fast forward to 2026, with the Tamil Nadu assembly election right around the corner, the "Hindi imposition" debate has become a key issue. On January 25 this year, chief minister MK Stalin hailed the "Language Martyrs" of the state who sacrificed their lives during the anti-Hindi agitations in the 1930s and 1960s, asserting that there was "no place" for the language in the state forever."A state that loved its language like its life, unitedly struggled against Hindi imposition; protested with the same intensity every time it was imposed," Stalin was quoted as saying by PTI.He added that there is no place for Hindi in Tamil Nadu, "then, now and forever". AIADMK chief EPS, the state's Leader of Opposition, said, "Mother Tamil is equal to our life."Tamil Nadu deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin described the upcoming assembly polls as the contest "between social justice and social injustice, between the Tamil language and the imposition of Hindi".At a DMK youth wing meeting in Thanjavur, Udhayanidhi said, "Modi-Amit Shah politics will not work in Tamil Nadu."Earlier in March, DMK cadres took things to another level when some of them smeared black paint on Hindi transliterations of Tamil names on signage boards at a Railway office in Tiruchirapalli.The incident came just hours after CM MK Stalin accused the Centre of "imposing Hindi" in the state, this time under the guise of the "one language, three scripts" approach. "Hindi Imposition by the BJP Government: Unpronounceable names at the very entrance! The BJP is crossing all limits in its obsession with Hindi imposition! The Union BJP government has engaged in the vile act of #HindiImposition by adopting a "one language, three scripts" approach, where Hindi names are simply transliterated into Tamil and English scripts!" he said in a post on X.Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan hit out at CM Stalin earlier this month over his criticism of the three-language formula, calling the narrative of "imposition" a "tired attempt" to mask political failures. Pradhan described NEP 2020 as a "manifesto for linguistic liberation". He said it prioritises the mother tongue, so every Tamil child can excel in their own glorious language."By misrepresenting a flexible policy as compulsory Hindi, you are not defending Tamil; you are creating barriers that deny our youth the opportunity to become multilingual global leaders," he posted on X. CM Stalin condemned Pradhan's remarks, calling them "deeply irresponsible", accusing the Modi government of "weaponising" education funds to coerce states into implementing the three-language formula.Pradhan once again defended the NEP 2020 and said nowhere does the policy say that "only Hindi will be taught"."Whichever state's resident one is, the mother tongue of that state will be taught there. In addition, they have to take one more Indian language; this is up to the students. They just want to create fear. No language is being imposed on anyone in any scheme," Pradhan told news agency ANI.Last week as well, Stalin firmly asserted that as long as the DMK is in power in Tamil Nadu, the three-language policy will not be allowed. He also exuded confidence about his party's performance in the forthcoming assembly elections and said, "The chances of victory look excellent. We will win all 234 constituencies."The 234-member Tamil Nadu assembly is set to go to polls on April 23, 2026, with voting counting scheduled for May 4.(with inputs from agencies)