Janasena Party chief and Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan on Friday criticised Tamil Nadu politicians for what he called “hypocrisy” regarding the alleged imposition of Hindi in the state.
He pointed out that while these leaders oppose Hindi, they allow Tamil movies to be dubbed in the language for financial gain.
“I do not understand why some criticise Sanskrit. Why do Tamil Nadu politicians oppose Hindi while allowing their movies to be dubbed in Hindi for financial gain? They want money from Bollywood but refuse to accept Hindi–what kind of logic is that?” Kalyan asked while addressing the party’s 12th foundation day at Pithampuram in Kakinada.
Kalyan’s comments come amid Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin accusing the Union government of ‘Hindi imposition’ and refusing to implement the three-language formula laid out in the NEP as a protest.
Emphasising India’s linguistic diversity, Kalyan said that the country needs multiple languages, including Tamil, rather than just two dominant ones. “India needs multiple languages, including Tamil, not just two. We must embrace linguistic diversity – not only to maintain the integrity of our nation but also to foster love and unity among its people,” Kalyan said.
His remarks follow Tamil Nadu CM Stalin’s comments on March 13, in which he labelled the NEP as a “saffronized policy” designed to promote Hindi rather than develop India. He alleged that the policy threatens to destroy Tamil Nadu’s education system.
“National Education Policy is not education policy, it is saffronise policy. The policy was not created to develop India but to develop Hindi. We are opposing the Policy as that would destroy the Tamil Nadu education system completely,” Stalin said in Tiruvallur.
Stalin further accused the central government of withholding funds to pressure the state into implementing the NEP.
“We are asking for your tax share, which we paid with our efforts. What is the problem with this? Is it fair to threaten without releasing funds for the welfare of 43 lakh schools? As we didn’t accept NEP, they are refusing to release funds that belong to Tamil Nadu,” he said.
“We would have welcomed the scheme if it brought everyone into education. But is NEP like that? NEP has all the factors that remove people from education. This is how this policy is, and that’s why we are opposing it,” he added.
(With inputs from ANI)
