MDMK general secretary Vaiko on Tuesday asked the Centre not to implement a Parliamentary Committee Report on official language to use Hindi as the medium of instruction in IITs, IIMs and Central Universities in Hindi-speaking States, and regional languages in similar centres of learning in other regions.
He said the report was a war on non-Hindi speaking states.
“It is highly condemnable that the Hindutva forces, which are bent on destroying the plurality of the nation and creating a Hindu nation, are using their power to impose Sanskrit or Hindi on people,” he said.
Mr Vaiko, in a statement, said all the 22 languages listed in the eight schedule of the Constitution should be given equal treatment and made the official languages of the country. “Otherwise it will pose a danger to the unity of the country and it will disintegrate like the erstwhile Soviet union,” he warned. In a statement, Dravidar Kazhagam president K. Veeramani recalled the promise of late Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru that English would continue as the official language so long as the people of non-Hindi speaking states wanted and accused Hindu fanatics of playing with fire.
Pointing out all the states including Punjab, West Bengal, North Eastern States and even Maharashtra were opposing Hindi, Mr Veeramani said Parliamentarians should not fail to learn lessons from history.
He warned that “imposition” of Hindi and its use in educational institutions would result in a political storm in the country.
