somashekar bagur ಸೋಮಶೇಖರ

Hon’ble Thiru @dpradhanbjp, Your remarks are deeply irresponsible and reckless, and reflect an entrenched disregard for India’s plurality, federal values, and respect for states. Tamil Nadu firmly rejects #ThreeLanguagePolicy. This is not about opposing languages, but about resisting imposition and defending Constitutional rights. Your earlier disparaging remarks about Tamils in Parliament, followed by a belated apology, only underscore a pattern of conduct that is unacceptable. The claim that there is “no Hindi imposition” is plainly dishonest. When a policy structurally corners non-Hindi speaking states like Tamil Nadu into adopting a third language with little real choice, and when crucial education funding is tied to compliance, it ceases to be a matter of choice. It is nothing short of audacity to illegally withhold a humongous sum of Rs.2,200 crore under the 'Samagra Shiksha' Scheme, effectively penalising Tamil Nadu for refusing to accept #HindiImposition. These are not discretionary grants, but funds that rightfully belong to the people of Tamil Nadu, collected through taxes cannot be weaponised as a tool of coercion. Let me also be clear. Tamil Nadu will not accept language imposition under any circumstances, whether disguised as flexibility, backed by financial pressure, or projected as national interest. This policy places an unnecessary burden on students, infringes upon the rights of states, and attempts to dilute India’s linguistic diversity into a monochromatic, homogenised “One India” framework. In the din of rhetoric, you must not evade basic questions. What third Indian language is actually being implemented in schools across Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Gujarat? How many PM SHRI Schools genuinely offer South Indian languages such as Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu, and languages like Bengali, Odia, and Marathi in northern India? How many schools under the Kendriya Vidyalaya 'Sangathan' are actually teaching Tamil? How many Tamil and other South Indian language teachers have been appointed in the last 10 years? And I challenge you to place on record how much the NDA government has spent on promoting classical languages like Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Odia compared to Sanskrit. Your suggestion that Tamil Nadu lacks school infrastructure is equally baseless. We have built one of India’s strongest public education systems through decades of sustained investment, high enrolment, strong learning outcomes, and pioneering welfare initiatives. Our opposition to Hindi imposition is not born out of fear. Our mother Tamil will never be weakened. Tamil and Tamils have endured and will continue to resist and survive every form of imposition or cultural intrusion. This is a matter of principle, dignity, and the preservation of India’s true diversity. Tamil Nadu will not abandon its proven two-language policy, built on social consensus and strong educational outcomes, for a centrally driven framework that undermines diversity, burdens students, and weakens the federal fabric of India. Tamil Nadu’s language policy stands as a success story on the global stage, with Tamils making their mark in science and technology, medicine, and space research. The state’s economic growth and inclusivity are deeply rooted in this model. We can prove all our assertions through empirical data, and your arguments are purely rhetorical and devoid of any real data in the educational sphere. It is both inaccurate and dismissive to suggest that Tamil Nadu’s schools lag in modern education. In enrolment, learning outcomes, and innovation, Tamil Nadu continues to lead. Over the last five years, the Tamil Nadu government has achieved significant progress in infrastructure and introduced pioneering initiatives such as the Chief Minister's Free Breakfast Scheme benefiting over 20 lakh students. The #DMKManifesto2026 promises extension of the CM breakfast scheme up to Class VIII, benefiting an additional 15 lakh students. Public education remains our top priority, viewed not as expenditure but as a social investment generating long-term societal benefits. I challenge you to make this proclamation that every Indian child should compulsorily learn three languages, on the soil of Tamil Nadu while seeking the votes of its people. I also call upon AIADMK General Secretary Thiru. Palaniswami and his NDA allies to clearly state their position. Do they support this aggressively pushed three-language policy of the BJP? It is time for Thiru. Palaniswami to make his stand unequivocally clear, whether he stands with the people of Tamil Nadu or with his Delhi bosses who seek to impose Hindi under the guise of policy. #StopHindiImposition #UnityIsUniformity #RespectPluralism

I fully support Tamil Nadu’s two-language policy and our CM Thiru @mkstalin’s strong stand against the three-language formula. My Personal Stance I have many Hindi-speaking friends and we get along very well. I do not hate anyone based on the language they speak. India’s real strength is its diversity, and I am against anything that will damage that diversity in the long term. My Personal Language Journey I was able to clear a tough exam like IIT JEE with serious effort. Yet even I struggled a lot with languages. Until fifth standard in a private nursery school I studied three languages: Tamil, English and Hindi. In sixth I had Sanskrit. From seventh I changed to a school with only Tamil and English. By the time I reached 12th standard I was still not fluent. I could neither speak nor write proper essays comfortably in Tamil or English. My English improved only when I started reading English newspapers regularly and putting conscious effort into improving it. My spoken English improved after joining IIT, where I had to speak English every day with students from across the country. Why Three Languages Become a Heavy Burden If someone like me found it so difficult to become properly fluent, forcing a third language in school will be a huge burden for the majority of students. For us Tamilians our language belongs to a completely different family from north Indian languages, which makes it even harder. Modern education research also shows that overloading young children with three languages early reduces valuable time for maths, science and critical thinking. The Reality Behind NEP 2020’s “Flexible” Policy The Centre says the three-language policy is flexible and not mandatory Hindi. But in practice this flexibility is only theoretical. No school is going to find teachers easily for other Indian languages like Tamil, Malayalam or Bengali in other states, so Hindi becomes the default. When there are reports of delays or withholding of significant Samagra Shiksha funds (again, I can’t even pronounce this Hindi/Sanskritised title), it feels like clear coercion, not choice. This Issue is Deeply Emotional for Tamils Tamil Nadu has been resisting Hindi imposition since the 1930s, especially during the 1965 anti-Hindi agitations when many lives were lost. The two-language policy is not new. It is part of our history and identity. Many Tamilians Already Learn Hindi Voluntarily Most of us pick up conversational Hindi naturally through movies, migration or jobs. For example, my children automatically picked up some Hindi by watching movies and also by conversing with their mother who knows Hindi as she grew up in north India. There is simply no need to force it in schools. What We Should Actually Focus On In today’s world English is the international language for science, mathematics, technology, programming, AI and global business. Tamil Nadu is one of the top-performing states largely because we took English seriously. States that focused early on English tend to perform better in tech-heavy industries. Every state should teach maths, science and technology subjects in English and also focus on teaching their mother tongue with emphasis on contemporary usage instead of outdated grammar, and leave any third language to individual choice. Economically, India’s biggest problem is energy security. If economic value is the goal, even languages like Russian, Persian or Arabic may be more relevant to deal with energy-rich countries like Russia, Iran and the Middle East, not another Indian language that gives little economic return. Examples of Hindi Imposition I Have Seen When I was in high school and Doordarshan was the only TV channel, Tamil programmes ran only till 9 pm. After that it became the “National Programme” which was mostly Hindi. Many families including mine simply switched off the TV. Even now, the new criminal laws have all Hindi/Sanskrit titles that I cannot pronounce or remember. I see this as harassment for people whose mother tongue is not Hindi, especially Dravidian or Tamil-speaking people. My Appeal to the Union Government It does not matter which party is in power at the Centre. I have seen that the policy is always the same. They try to impose Hindi on other states. Central ministers, many of whom themselves come from non-Hindi speaking states, should stop this obsession with Hindi. Instead they should push for better English learning across India. Let us accept English as the connecting language. It gives huge economic and global benefits that no other Indian language can match right now. I urge the Union Government to drop this three-language push and make mother tongue plus English the clear national policy. If anyone wants to learn a third language, Indian or foreign, let it be their personal choice. #StopHindiImposition #UnityIsUniformity #RespectPluralism

#stophindiimposition the host has the audacity to ask question in Hindi... the answer lies in your rather smug question itself

#TwoLanguagePolicy will be implemented.

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