Tamil Nadu Politics: A Battle Over Language Policy

Congress leader P Chidambaram and Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister Stalin clash with the Union Government over the proposed three-language policy. Chidambaram criticizes Hindi-dominant states for not adopting the three-language formula, while Stalin rejects Hindi imposition, highlighting the state's educational achievements.

The debate over language policy in Tamil Nadu has intensified, with Congress leader P Chidambaram criticizing the lack of implementation of the three-language formula in Hindi-dominant states. He argues that these states, where Hindi pervades education and is often the only language taught, undermine the policy by not incorporating regional languages.

P Chidambaram highlighted that Tamil Nadu’s 52 Kendriya Vidyalayas, run by the Central Government, fail to include Tamil in their curriculum. Instead, they offer English as a medium of instruction and teach either Hindi or Sanskrit. Meanwhile, in Tamil Nadu, the long-standing two-language policy emphasizes Tamil and English, although private and CBSE schools offer Hindi voluntarily.

Chief Minister Stalin vehemently opposed the Union Government's language imposition, accusing the Education Minister of instigating a confrontation. Stalin argued that Tamil Nadu, which surpasses the New Education Policy’s objectives for 2030, will not succumb to threats of Hindi colonialism, labeling the BJP's campaign for the three-language policy as a political misstep.