Hindi imposition row: DMK protests at Trichy Railway Division office

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) Trichy Central Secretary Vairamani on Wednesday slammed the Central Government over Hindi imposition in Tamil Nadu, saying that the government has been constantly imposing the Hindi language in the state. "They have put up the name in Hindi at the entrance of the Tiruchirappalli Railway Division office. The Central Government has been continuously imposing Hindi in Tamil Nadu. Condemning this act, we are staging a protest in Trichy today. Our Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and the Deputy Chief Minister have been consistently opposing such imposition of Hindi. We demand that the Central Government immediately withdraw this approach," he said.

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CM Stalin Accuses Centre of 'Obsession with Hindi Imposition'

The statement comes after the DMK smeared black paint over Hindi transliterations of Tamil names at a Railway office in Tiruchirappalli. Earlier, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin again accused the Central government of "imposing hindi" in the state, this time under the guise of the "one language, three scripts" approach.

Stalin alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central government is simply transliterating "unpronounceable" Hindi names in English and Tamil scripts, warning the BJP against its "obsession" with Hindi imposition. "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.

Cites 'Kartvya Dwar', 'Jal Shakti' as Examples

Sharing instances of what he believed was to be "hindi imposition," Stalin alleged that at the Tiruchirappalli Railway Divisional Office, the BJP has written 'kartvya dwar' in three scripts. He also objected to using the Bhavishya Nidhi Bhavan name to refer to Employees' Provident Fund (EPFO) offices.

"For the new criminal laws as well, they use Sanskrit names written in English script. The name of the Union Ministry of Water Resources has become 'Jal Shakti'. They showed the same behaviour regarding the name change of the Mahatma Gandhi 100-day work scheme (MGNREGA)," he further alleged.

Stalin said that a fitting lesson must be taught to the BJP and asked them to abandon the attempt to impose Hindi. "Their insolence and arrogance are growing. A fitting lesson must be taught to those who are provoking the self-respect of the Tamil people! They must abandon the attempt to impose Hindi through Tamil and English scripts, and proper Tamil names must be placed there immediately. I warn that otherwise, the Union BJP government will have to feel the "heat" (wrath) of the Tamils," he said.

Ongoing State-Centre Tussle Amid Election Politics

There has been an ongoing tussle between the state government and the Centre, where the DMK-led government has accused the BJP of imposing Hindi. Amid this, the state also introduced the State Education Policy, with a two-language formula. This comes amid the heated politics as the state is set to hold the Legislative Assembly elections later this year, where the DMK-led alliance will look to defend its hold on the state against the AIADMK-BJP-led alliance. (ANI)