CHENNAI: Chief Minister and DMK president M. K. Stalin on Wednesday criticised the BJP-led Union government on using Hindi names for public offices and facilities, alleging that it amounted to the imposition of Hindi.
Referring to the naming of “Kartavya Dwar” at the zonal office of the Railways in Tiruchirappalli, Stalin said the Union government’s attempts at Hindi imposition had crossed limits. He pointed out that even when displayed in English and Tamil, the words were essentially Hindi.
The Chief Minister termed the move “shameful” and cited examples where names of departments had been changed to Hindi. He said the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation had been referred to as “Bhavishya Nidhi Bhavan”, while the Department of Water Resources had been renamed as “Jal Shakti”.
Stalin alleged that such steps reflected the “arrogance” of the Bharatiya Janata Party and hurt the self-respect of Tamils.
Warning the Union government, Stalin said that unless the demand was addressed, it would face strong opposition from the people of Tamil Nadu.