Synopsis
Pro-Tamil activists in Tamil Nadu blackened Hindi text on the Pollachi Junction Railway Station's name board, intensifying ongoing disputes regarding language policies. The ruling DMK government opposes perceived Hindi imposition and supports the existing two-language policy.Key Takeaways
- Pro-Tamil activists vandalized Hindi text in Tamil Nadu.
- Incident linked to tensions over language policies.
- DMK government opposes Central government's Hindi imposition.
- Stalin criticizes NEP 2020 for threatening state interests.
- Language funding disparities highlighted by the Chief Minister.
Chennai, Feb 23 (NationPress) In the midst of escalating disputes regarding language policies in Tamil Nadu, pro-Tamil activists defaced the Hindi inscriptions on the name board of Pollachi Junction Railway Station on Sunday.
This incident unfolds against the backdrop of the ruling DMK's claims that the Central government is enforcing Hindi upon the state.
The activists vandalized the Hindi version of "Pollachi Junction," prompting railway officials from the Palakkad division to restore it shortly after.
According to a statement by the Southern Railway's Palakkad division, "Pollachi Railway Protection Force (RPF) has identified the perpetrators and filed a case under the applicable provisions of the Railways Act. They will face prosecution. The damaged text has been promptly restored."
The DMK-led government in Tamil Nadu has been vocal in its resistance to what it describes as "Hindi imposition" by the Centre, especially in relation to the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020.
Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has condemned the policy, asserting that its implementation would regress the state by 2,000 years.
He firmly stated that Tamil Nadu would reject the NEP even if the Union government were to offer Rs 10,000 crore in incentives.
Stalin has also accused Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan of trying to impose Hindi through NEP's three-language formula, which is opposed by Tamil Nadu.
The Chief Minister reiterated that his administration would resist any policy that undermines Tamil identity or jeopardizes the state's interests.
Further emphasizing the disparities in language funding, Stalin noted that while Tamil, spoken by over eight crore individuals, has received only Rs 74 crore for development, Sanskrit—a language spoken by merely a few thousand—has been allocated Rs 1,488 crore.
The issue of language continues to be a significant political flashpoint in Tamil Nadu.
Both the ruling DMK and its ally, the AIADMK, have pledged their support for the state's existing two-language policy, which mandates the teaching of only Tamil and English.
Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin has reaffirmed that Tamil Nadu will not adopt the three-language framework proposed under the NEP.
The AIADMK, the leading opposition party, has also endorsed the two-language policy, insisting that the state's linguistic autonomy must be safeguarded.
To further complicate relations between Tamil Nadu and the Centre, Chief Minister Stalin has called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to release Rs 2,152 crore under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) for the state.
In a strongly worded letter, he lambasted the Union government for linking SSA funds to the Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India or PM SHRI Scheme, arguing that these are two separate centrally sponsored programs.
Stalin contended that such actions violate the principles of cooperative federalism and adversely affect thousands of students and teachers in Tamil Nadu.
He accused the Centre of using fund allocation as a coercive tactic to compel states into adopting NEP 2020.
The Chief Minister urged the Prime Minister to disburse SSA funds without any preconditions.
As the debate over language policies intensifies, the standoff between the Tamil Nadu government and the Centre continues to influence the political landscape of the state.
