Lambasting the DMK on the three-language policy, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday that the regional party was using the matter to hide its corruption, and also promised that after December, he would exchange letters with people from different states in their mother tongues only.
During his reply to the discussion on the working of his ministry in the Rajya Sabha, the Home Minister said, “…I would like to say something so that those who divide the country in the name of language do not get their agenda. Under the Department of Official Language, the Narendra Modi Government has set up an Indian Languages Section which will work to enhance the usage of all Indian languages – Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Assamese, Bengali, all languages.”
He promised after December he would exchange letters with people from different States in their mother tongues only.
”After December, I will have written correspondence with citizens, CMs, Ministers and MPs in their own language. This is a strong reply to those who run their shops in the name of language to hide their corruption…What are they saying? That we oppose languages of the south? How can this be possible?…I come from Gujarat, Nirmala Sitharanan from Tamil Nadu. How can we oppose this? What are you saying? We have worked for languages…”
He further said, ”I would like to tell the Tamil Nadu Government – we have been saying for two years that you do not have the courage to translate medical and engineering study material into Tamil…You cannot do this. When an NDA government comes to power (in Tamil Nadu), we will provide medical and engineering courses in Tamil, in Tamil Nadu. I would like to tell those who spread poison in the name of the language that you like languages from thousands of kilometres away but you do not like the language of India…”
He added that he has said again and again that Hindi has no competition with any other Indian language.
”Hindi is a friend of all Indian languages, all Indian languages strengthen from Hindi and Hindi strengthens from all Indian languages…”
Tamil Nadu’s refusal to adopt the three-language formula has been a matter of contention with the Centre. A two-language policy has been in place in Tamil Nadu for decades.
DMK lawmakers have been protesting against the National Education Policy (NEP) in and outside Parliament in the ongoing Budget session on the issue. The Centre has accused the DMK of being “dishonest” and playing “politics” at the cost of Tamil Nadu students’ future.