“Hindi is the mother tongue in yet to develop states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, and newly carved states, he further added
A leader of Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK has controversially called Hindi the language of “underdeveloped states” and has said it will reduce Tamils to the status of “Shudras”.
TKS Elangovan, a DMK Rajya Sabha member, has also said that enforcing Hindi in southern states amounts to the imposition of “Manu Dharma”.
“Hindi will do us no good. Hindi is not the mother tongue in developed states including West Bengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala,”Ā Elangovan said at a meet organized to protest Hindi imposition.
“Hindi is the mother tongue in yet to develop states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, and newly carved states. Then why should we learn Hindi?” theĀ he further added.
Taking a dig at Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who has been vocal about his views on usingĀ Hindi as an alternative to English in India. “Amit Shah had said Hindi as a national language will give it a global identity. ‘Unity in diversity is India’s signature identity. Is Amit Shah an Indian? I have a doubt,” said the DMK leader.
Mr. Elangovan’s comments, and his use of the casteist term “Shudras” – used to describe the lowest rung in the caste hierarchy, have attracted outrage.
Tamil pride is 2,000 years old and the culture of Tamils was to always practice equality, including among genders, Mr. Elangovan added.
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 further said.
Later he justified his statement to ANI “I didn’t coin the word ‘Shudra’.Tamil society is an equanimous society & did not practice the class difference in the south. Because the entry of the language from the North has divided us also. People during the Dravidian movement fought for the education rights of Shudras and OBCs. “What I said was that when Hindi entered it may bring the cultural practice which was enforced in the north to us. So it will confirm our Shudra class, I meant” he said
I didn't coin the word 'Shudra'.Tamil society is an equanimous society&didn't practice class difference in the south.Because of entry of the language from North,it has divided us also.People during Dravidian movement fought for education rights of Shudras, OBCs: TKS Elangovan,DMK pic.twitter.com/GtVfmsKxpy
— ANI (@ANI) June 6, 2022
Earlier Tamil Nadu’s Higher EducationĀ Minister K.Ponmudy on Hindi imoposition row had saidĀ “Hindi speaking people were selling “pani puri” in the state, respondingĀ to claims that learning the language would fetch jobs.
A few weeks ago PM Narendra Modi had said “BJP considers every regional language worth worshipping and has given them equal importance ever since” ,While addressing the BJPās national office bearersā meeting in Jaipur.
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