Leading the state’s observance of the Language Martyrs’ Day, Stalin visited the Thalamuthu-Natarasan Memorial at Moolakothalam in Chennai to honour the martyrs of the language struggle.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Sunday vowed to “resist Hindi imposition forever” as he paid floral tributes to those who laid down their lives during protests against Hindi imposition.
Leading the state’s observance of the Language Martyrs’ Day, Stalin visited the Thalamuthu-Natarasan Memorial at Moolakothalam in Chennai to honour the martyrs of the language struggle.
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“Salutations to the martyrs of the language struggle”, the Tamil Nadu CM wrote on X, underscoring the state’s enduring commitment to linguistic dignity and federal principles.
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He asserted that Hindi, a common language spoken in the North India states, has no place in the state.
“Language Martyrs’ Day of Glorious Tribute: Neither then, nor now, nor ever will Hindi have a place here! A state that loves its language as its very lifeblood, it united and fought against Hindi imposition. Every time it was imposed, it resisted with the same valour,” he said.
The chief minister further added, “May no more lives be lost in the language struggle henceforth; may our Tamil consciousness never die! We will resist Hindi imposition forever!”
Language Martyrs’ Day is observed every year on January 25 to remember those who lost their lives resisting compulsory Hindi, particularly during the anti-Hindi movements of the 1930s and the mass agitation of 1965.
‘We must free Tamil Nadu from the chains of DMK’: PM Modi says southern state ready for change
The 1965 agitation, marked by widespread student participation and public protests across Tamil Nadu, resulted in several deaths and left an indelible mark on the state’s collective memory. The agitation also reshaped national language policy.
Following sustained protests in Tamil Nadu, the Union government assured that English would continue as an associate official language along with Hindi, a compromise that helped ease tensions and reinforced India’s multilingual character.
Stalin’s remarks holds greater significance as they come in the backdrop of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s agressive campaign push in Tamil Nadu ahead of Assembly elections later this year.
The BJP-AIADMK alliance has officially launched its poll campaign with a big public rally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Madurantakam this week.
During the rally, Modi asserted that the state must be freed from the chains of DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam).
The BJP has also intensified its attack on the DMK over the Sanatan Dharma issue after a court observed that Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s 2023 remarks amounted to “hate speech”.
In response to the BJP’s Hindutva push, the DMK is expected to rely on its core Dravidian ideology and the politically sensitive language issue to consolidate support.
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