Mumbai, Feb 28 The ongoing clash between the DMK and BJP over the imposition of Hindi in Tamil Nadu has intensified, with Union Minister G Kishan Reddy accusing the Chief Minister M.K. Stalin government of using the language issue as a political stunt to mislead the public.
Addressing the media, Reddy dismissed the controversy as a 'political stunt' orchestrated by Chief Minister Stalin. He emphasised that the Centre was not imposing Hindi on anyone, clarifying that the language policy in question was pre-existing, dating back to the Congress and AIADMK governments.
"There is no controversy, it is just a political stunt by Stalin," Reddy said.
"We are not imposing Hindi on anyone, anywhere. This is a language policy, not an imposition," he said.
Reddy further explained that learning Hindi was not mandatory, pointing out that just as people in Telangana, his home state, are encouraged to learn Telugu, there was no compulsion on learning English or Hindi.
He further compared the situation to regional language policies across India and reiterated that the government was not enforcing any linguistic imposition.
The Union Minister gave a sharp message to Chief Minister Stalin, urging him to be more responsible with his rhetoric.
"I want to tell Stalin, the Chief Minister, to speak responsibly and not mislead people with provocative speeches," Reddy said.
He accused CM Stalin of using the language issue to create a false narrative ahead of the upcoming elections, claiming that the Tamil Nadu government had failed to deliver on any significant new language policies during its tenure.
"This is just a false propaganda ahead of elections," Reddy added.
"You have been in power for over four years, what have you done? Fight elections based on your actual record, not by making false promises about Hindi," he said.
The war of words comes as CM Stalin has accused the central government of imposing Hindi, reigniting the long-standing debate over linguistic dominance.
CM Stalin has urged the public to resist what he calls a "language war," drawing attention to the importance of protecting regional languages.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Amit Shah acknowledged Tamil as one of the oldest languages but also apologised for his inability to speak it.
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