Union home minister Amit Shah has called for expansion of reach of Hindi to all parts of India (File photo)

CHENNAI/ BENGALURU/ HYDERABAD: Union home minister Amit Shah ’s call to expand the reach of Hindi to all parts of India, terming it “the only language that can unite the whole country”, evoked strong reactions in the southern states — DMK chief M K Stalin demanded on Saturday that the PM intervene and threatened “a nationwide agitation, Congress in Karnataka called Shah’s statements “false propaganda”, and AIMIM in Telangana said “India is much bigger than Hindi, Hindu, Hindutva”.

Others, like ex-CM HD Kumaraswamy of JD(S), asked why only Hindi Divas was being observed and why there were no such celebrations for other languages. “Remember that Kannadigas are also part of India’s federal system. Like Hindi, Kannada is also an official language of the country. So when will you celebrate Kannada Divas?” Kumaraswamy tweeted.

Most political parties in Tamil Nadu reacted angrily. The ruling AIADMK, a BJP ally, said whatever the compulsion the state would stick to the two-language formula of teaching in Tamil and English laid down by former CMs C N Annadurai, MGR and J Jayalalithaa. Stalin issued a statement saying Shah’s comments amounted to degrading non-Hindi speaking people as second-grade citizens. Unity in diversity is the strength of the country and no one will be allowed to alter it, he said.

Opposition parties in Karnataka said Shah’s statement was part of a conspiracy to impose Hindi on regional language-speaking states in the name of India’s unity. “Hindi is like any of the other 22 regional languages, including Kannada, of the country. To say that Hindi is a national language is misleading. This false propaganda must stop,” Congress legislature party leader Siddaramaiah said.

In Hyderabad Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi, quoting Article 29 of the Indian Constitution which allows citizens with distinct language, script or culture the right to conserve the same, tweeted: “Hindi isn’t every Indian’s ‘mother tongue’. Could you try appreciating the diversity & beauty of the many mother tongues that dot this land? Article 29 gives every Indian the right to a distinct language, script & culture.

In Chennai, Stalin demanded that “Prime Minister Narendra Modi should intervene” to end the controversy. “All languages in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution should be given equal importance. Shah should withdraw his suggestion… If the Centre fails to backtrack, the DMK will convene an all-party meeting and launch a nationwide agitation against imposition of Hindi,” Stalin said. Later, he told reporters that a high-level DMK meeting will discuss the issue and chalk out the course of action.

Tamil Nadu fisheries minister and senior AIADMK leader D Jayakumar said, “We will not accept any language that is not acceptable to the people.” He recalled the anti-Hindi agitations of 1965 that brought the curtain down on the Congress government in the state.

PMK chief S Ramadoss, another BJP ally, said Shah is free to speak about Hindi on Hindi Diwas but cannot impose Hindi on non-Hindi speaking people. “Hindi cannot take India onto the global stage,” he tweeted.

MDMK chief Vaiko said if Amit Shah felt only Hindi could unite the country, only Hindi-speaking states would remain part of it. Tamil Nadu and the northeastern states will never accept it, he said.

VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan said the Centre was pushing the Sangh Parivar’s agenda. “It is dangerous to impose Hindi on all. The Centre is also tinkering with the education policy unnecessarily,” said Thirumavalavan. AMMK leader T T V Dhinakaran, too, criticised Shah’s suggestion.

BJP leader Vanathi Srinivasan said Shah was only reflecting the thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi and several other late national leaders who felt Hindi alone could be a common language for India.

Siddaramaiah said the imposition of any language on people was wrong. “We’re not against Hindi but are against its forceful imposition on people speaking other languages,” he said, adding he was personally against celebrating Hindi Divas. He said no language can be promoted or developed through force and without love and respect.

Shah’s statement also come in for a sharp criticism on social media, with #stopHindiimposition trending and over 78,000 people commenting on the issue. Most Twitter users from the southern states slammed the home minister’s remarks.



In Video: MK Stalin slams Amit Shah’s ‘Hindi national language’ remark