TVK leader flays Centre over alleged bid to make Hindi nat’l language

CHENNAI: Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) on Tuesday urged the Union government to withdraw the reported move to impose Hindi as a single national language, calling it a direct threat to the country’s pluralism and federal values.

In a statement, TVK propaganda general secretary KG Arunraj said the country's strength lies in its linguistic diversity, with 22 languages enjoying Constitutional recognition. "Any attempt to impose one language on the people of this country is unacceptable. It is the responsibility of the Union government to protect all languages equally," he said.

He added that the BJP government's alleged efforts to advance the 'one nation, one language' idea undermined the rights of states and the federal structure of the Constitution. He pointed out that India's unity was built on its multilingual and multicultural fabric, not on uniformity.

Arunraj also said the Centre must focus on addressing pressing issues faced by the people rather than pursuing policies that would create linguistic divisions. He stressed that Tamil would always remain the identity and pride of Tamils, and warned that any attempt to dilute it would face strong opposition.

He further stated that TVK, led by actor-politician Vijay, would continue to safeguard the rights of Tamil people and stand firm against measures that compromise linguistic harmony.