A senior leader of the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu and Rajya Sabha member, TKS Elangovan, said at a recent event that Hindi would reduce Tamils to the status of "shudras" – a term used for those in the lower rung of the caste hierarchy. He added that states where the dominant language is Hindi are not as developed, while those where vernacular languages are used as mother tongue are thriving.
Attempts are being made to "impose Manu dharma through the imposition of Hindi," Elangovan reportedly said at a conference organised by the DMK, a clip of which has now gone viral.
"What will Hindi do? Only make us shudras (untouchables). It will do no benefit to us," he was quoted as saying by PTI.
The DMK leader had previously voiced his concerns against Union home minister Amit Shah's pitch for Hindi as a mother tongue across states.
Elangovan said non-Hindi speaking states like West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat are developed, suggesting more so than Hindi-speaking states.
"Why I am asking is that Hindi is not the mother tongue of people in these states. The undeveloped states are Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and the newly created ones (presumably Uttarakhand). Why should I learn Hindi," he asked the gathering.
The Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre has been making several attempts at promoting Hindi across the country through various mediums, including the National Education Policy, 2020.
{{/usCountry}}The Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre has been making several attempts at promoting Hindi across the country through various mediums, including the National Education Policy, 2020.
{{/usCountry}}Elangovan's comments came days after his party colleague and state higher education minister K Ponmudy's jibe that Hindi-speaking people were selling 'pani puri' in the state.
Elangovan also said that the Tamil pride is 2,000-year-old and that its culture always practised equality, including among genders. "They are trying to destroy the culture and trying to impose Manu Dharma through Hindi...this should not be allowed...if we did, we will be slaves, shudras," he added.
The comments were made in response to claims that learning the language would fetch jobs. Ponmudy had, however, denied his remarks amounting to ‘profiling’.
Tamil Nadu has been at the forefront of opposing the alleged Hindi imposition by the ruling saffron camp at the Centre. In the 1960s, the DMK had successfully used the issue to mobilise public support. The Tamil Nadu government had previously decried the NEP 2020 and said that it would only follow its two-language formula – Tamil and English – which has been in vogue in the southern state for decades.
(With agency inputs)