No need to learn Hindi to prove we're Indians, Tamil could be link language: TN BJP chief Annamalai
Chennai, Apr 13: Tamil Nadu BJP leaders claimed that there is no compulsion to learn Hindi to prove one is an Indian and said the ancient Tamil language could qualify to become the national link language.
Tweaking the Tamil pride in the Dravidian heartland where the ruling DMK and opposition AIADMK are on the same page in opposing Hindi or Sanskrit, an act viewed by those parties as imposing the language on the Tamils, the BJP state chief K Annamalai said his party would neither accept nor allow thrusting Hindi on the people of Tamil Nadu.
"There's no compelling situation to learn a language and prove that one is an Indian. One can learn Hindi or any language when it concerns employment or livelihood issues," Annamalai said and claimed that even Prime Minister Narendra Modi expected everyone to learn in their regional languages.
"There is no need to hate any language but replacing Tamil with Hindi or any language is unacceptable," claimed former Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan. Speaking to PTI on Wednesday, he said the Prime Minister himself had acknowledged (in February 2018) that Tamil is the oldest language and is older than Sanskrit and is beautiful. "In fact, the Prime Minister advised the non-Tamil students to learn Tamil," Radhakrishnan said.
Tamil, which is an administrative language in few countries, could qualify to become a link language of India, and steps should be taken in this direction, the former Union Minister said. English, he said, is a universal choice for education and employment.
Speaking in a similar vein, Annamalai claimed that Hindi is optional in the Centre's National Education Policy. "One can study in any regional language. Our greatest pride will be when Tamil is made the link language in the country," the BJP president said. "I don't know Hindi. I don't know how many of us here know that language. We can learn Hindi for education, employment or other purposes, but it can't be imposed," the former IPS officer said.
"We want India to become the vishwaguru and Tamil Nadu to be the guru for the country," Annamalai told reporters. He blamed the Congress regime for playing the language politics for over four decades. He said the Prime Minister approved the NEP after the Cabinet examined the final report making Hindi as optional language.
He welcomed popular film composer A R Rahman's remark that Tamil should be the link language and urged Chief Minister M K Stalin to write to his counterparts in all States asking them to encourage teaching Tamil in at least 10 schools in each State; and also agree to bear the expenses for the initiative.
"Tamil is our mother tongue and we cannot compromise on language issue. However, there is no restriction in learning any language," says Karu Nagarajan, BJP state general secretary. BJP strongman and Home Minister Amit Shah has stated that Hindi could be an alternative to English and that Hindi could be the official language in the country.
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Raj Thackeray questions need for NEET, demands Pradhan’s resignation
Mumbai (PTI): Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray on Thursday questioned the need for NEET-UG and demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi seek the resignation of Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan.
Thackeray's demand comes amid massive protests over the cancellation of the examination following allegations of paper leak.
The MNS chief said the government is so “obsessed” with bringing everything under a centralised authority that it appears to make no difference if the lives of hundreds of thousands of people are thrown into “disarray”.
In a post on X, Thackeray said that for several years now, a single individual (Pradhan) has remained entrenched in the position of Union education minister. Despite numerous “irregularities” and “scandals” within the NEET framework during his tenure, this “gentleman” continues to occupy the post, he said.
“One wonders: has he been rewarded with this continued tenure because he is so zealously pursuing the agenda of imposing the Hindi language across the entire nation? I earnestly appeal to the Prime Minister: please demand the immediate resignation of this Minister of yours, who has repeatedly toyed with the lives and future of 22 lakh students,” Thackeray said.
The National Testing Agency on Tuesday cancelled the NEET (UG) 2026 exam held on May 3 amid allegations of paper leak, with the government asking the CBI to carry out a comprehensive inquiry into the “irregularities”. The examination for students seeking admission to undergraduate courses in medical colleges will now be held afresh on dates to be notified separately.
Thackeray said the Centre continues its tradition of creating “chaos” in every matter and holding the public to ransom. The “NEET paper leak” has proved this once again, he said.
Thackeray sought to know what the Centre did when it found out the alleged malpractice. It merely cancelled the examination and ordered a CBI inquiry, he said.
In 2024, a CBI inquiry was ordered in a similar case, but nothing substantial was achieved through it, he said.
The government projects an air of having fulfilled its duty in all of this. But what about the lives of 22 lakh students and their families, who have been left hanging in the balance, he asked.
Thackeray said fundamentally, there was no need to “impose” NEET (National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test)-UG back in 2016.
“However, this government’s obsession with bringing everything under a single, centralised authority is so intense that, to them, it seems to make no difference if the lives of hundreds of thousands of people are thrown into disarray,” he said.
The MNS chief also asked ministers within the Maharashtra government to show some “spine” and join voices with those of the southern states and oppose this system.
Thackeray said leaders from the southern states have voiced their opposition in much the same way as he. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay has also demanded the cancellation of NEET. The reason for this is that the five southern states, combined with Maharashtra, collectively possess over 350 medical colleges, whereas the large states in the north have only 180 medical colleges, he said.
Consequently, this persistent push that began in 2016 is essentially an attempt to facilitate the “entry of students from the north into medical colleges in the south”, alleged Thackeray. To ensure this, the largest network of coaching classes has been established in the northern states, he claimed.
