Chennai, Feb 19 (UNI) With almost all political parties in Tamil Nadu speaking in one voice against the Centre's alleged Hindi imposition, protests against it gained momentum with women drawing various types of white and colourful rangolis in front of their houses, even as students of an autonomous college in the city staged a demonstration against the 3-language formula on Wednesday.
The novel protest was launched by the DMK Women's Wing in various parts of the State.
Residents of Ayapakkam at Villivakkam in the city also launched this novel protest as they drew kolams (rangolis) with slogans like "Welcome Tamil language' and 'Stop Hindi imposition'.
The slogans also slammed the Centre "not to deceive Tamil Nadu, not to snatch our rights and
not to impose 3-language formula".
Condemning the Centre for declining to release funds citing TN's refusal to accept the NEP which envisaged implementation of three-language formula, the rangolis of various hues and sizes also
contained slogans like "Where are TN’s funds? Stop Hindi Imposition,” and “Do not betray, deceive us".
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President M K Stalin took to X to state that it was obligatory
to eliminate Hindi, citing revolutionary poet Bharathidasan and tagged a video of women drawing
rangolis in front of their houses.
Stating that Hindi used cause sufferings, he said "the trick will not work with us".
Several women, who spoke to private TV channels after drawing rangolis, expressed their reservation for the attempts to impose Hindi and said it was our right to study what our children want.
Meanwhile, students of Presidency college in the city staged a demonstration against the Centre for its attempts to impose the three-language formula in the State and shouted slogans denouncing it.
The alleged attempt by the Centre to impose Hindi has been hitting the headlines during the last couple of days after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan openly declared that funds
under the SSA would not be released to Tamil Nadu till it accepted the NEP and implement the
three-langauge policy.
This triggered widespread and strong condemnation from almost all parties--the ruling DMK, its
allies, the principal Opposition AIADMK, the PMK--barring the BJP, and pledged to continue with
the existing two-language formula in the State.
They also declared that they would stoutly if Hindi was imposed in any form and would not accept
the 3-language policy.
Leaders of the DMK-led Front, including its allies, who were part of the INDIA bloc, staged a massive demonstration against the Centre in the city last evening against neglect of TN in the Union Budget, non-releasel of funds, NEP and the 3-language formula.
The protest was led by Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin and School Education Minister
Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, who said that Tamil Nadu will not bow down to the Centre's hegemony.
"We will stand for the rights of the Dravidian land,” he said and slammed the Union government for
its attempt to coerce states into adopting the NEP and the three-language policy.
"We reject the National Education Policy, the PM-Shri scheme, and Hindi imposition", he said.
However, countering it, BJP State President K Annamalai asserted that Hindi will not be imposed
in Tamil Nadu as part of three language policy under the NEP-2020) and said the BJP will launch
a 90-day door-to-door signature campaign across the State from March 1 to elicit parents' views of the 3-language policy and submit it to President Draupadi Murmu and top BJP leaders.
Hindi will not be imposed in the State and the NEP did not envisage it. The three language policy
only allows students to choose the third language of their choice and it does not mean Hindi.
UNI GV 1715