NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday took on DMK for raising “baseless” charge of imposition of Hindi and said the governing party in Tamil Nadu was using anti-Hindi protests as a smoke screen for covering its corruption, adding that BJP will start medical and engineering courses in Tamil if it gets to form govt in the southern state.
Asserting that, contrary to allegations, Modi govt has, in a first, set up a section for the promotion of Indian languages and that he himself is making efforts to ensure that he gets to correspond with citizens, public representatives and chief ministers in different states in their local languages, Shah said that this belied the propaganda about Hindi imposition. “This is a strong reply to those who have started the business of seeking to divide the nation in the name of language. We consider that every Indian language is like a jewel of Indian culture. Can they really say we are against any language of the south or a state? We also come from states. I come from Gujarat; Nirmalaji comes from Tamil Nadu,” he said.
Shah said the Centre has worked for promotion of languages by translating medical and engineering curriculums in regional languages. “For two years, we have been asking the Tamil Nadu govt to translate engineering and medical curriculum into Tamil. But you don’t have that courage because your financial benefits are linked to this,” the minister claimed.
The HM said when the BJP govt comes to power in the state it will teach these courses in Tamil. He added, “They are spreading poison in the name of language. You like language (English), which is thousands of kilometres away, but don’t like Indian language… You cannot divide the country in the name of language. You should speak about development. But you are trying to hide your wrongdoings and your corruption in the name of language. We will expose you, and we will go to every village to expose your wrongdoings.”
Earlier in the day, DMK MPs accused the Centre of imposing Hindi on the state amid the escalating face off between the state and Centre over the implementation of the three-language formula outlined in the National Education Policy. MDMK chief Vaiko had alleged that the state was being “victimised” by the home ministry, which releases disaster relief funds. Other party MPs have also raised the issue.