Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday hit back at Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin over his claim that "Hindi swallowed many languages," calling his remarks "shallow attempts to divide society."
Responding to MK Stalin's post, Ashwini Vaishnaw said, "Poor governance will never be hidden by such shallow attempts to divide society."
Asking Tamil Nadu CM if Congress leader Rahul Gandhi agrees with him on the issue, he said, "It will be interesting to know what the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi Ji, has to say on this subject. Does he, as MP of a Hindi-speaking seat, agree?"
Vaishnaw's attack against MK Stalin followed after the DMK chief in a post claimed, "Tamil Nadu resists Hindi because some languages that made way for Hindi, they disappeared."
"My dear sisters and brothers from other states, ever wondered how many Indian languages Hindi has swallowed? Bhojpuri, Maithili, Awadhi, Braj, Bundeli, Garhwali, Kumaoni, Magahi, Marwari, Malvi, Chhattisgarhi, Santhali, Angika, Ho, Kharia, Khortha, Kurmali, Kurukh, Mundari and many more are now gasping for survival," Tamil Nadu CM said.
"The push for a monolithic Hindi identity is what kills ancient mother tongues. UP and Bihar were never just 'Hindi heartlands.' Their real languages are now relics of the past. Tamil Nadu resists because we know where this ends. Tamil Awoke; The Culture of the Tamil Race Survived! Some Languages Made Way for Hindi; They Disappeared Without a Trace!" he added.
As Tamil Nadu is heading towards elections, the issue of Hindi imposition in Tamil Nadu has resurfaced in the southern state. CM MK Stalin has opposed the Union government's efforts to enforce the three-language formula as part of the NEP, calling it a regressive policy and an attempt to impose Hindi.
