Won't Oppose Hindi If Not Imposed on TN: CM

The DMK will not oppose Hindi if it is not "imposed" on Tamil Nadu and forcing the language on Tamils amounts to playing with their self-respect, state Chief Minister and the ruling party's president M K Stalin said on Wednesday.

- Press Trust of India

CHENNAI:

In a letter to partymen on the issue of alleged Hindi imposition, Stalin said self-respect was Tamils' "unique" nature.

"For those asking why DMK still opposes Hindi, my humble response to them as one among you is--because you still impose it on us." "We won't oppose if you don't impose; won't blacken Hindi words in Tamil Nadu. Self-respect is Tamils' unique characteristic and we will not allow anyone, whoever it is, to play with it," he asserted.

Stalin's remarks come amidst an intense language row in the state, with the DMK alleging that the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre was trying to impose Hindi through the three-language formula in the National Education Policy (NEP), a charge denied by the union government.

The issue has led to a war of words between the DMK and the state BJP unit, with the saffron party's TN chief K Annamalai leading the charge.