Following the row over implementing the three-language policy in Tamil Nadu, Congress leader P Chidambaram said that unless the two-language policy is successful, discussing the three-language policy is redundant.
P Chidambaram said, “Three languages should be taught in schools. No state in India is implementing the three language formula. Perticularly in Hindi speaking states, it is effectively a one language formula. The common language is Hindi, the official state language is Hindi, the medium of instruction is Hindi, and the subject they study is Hindi. If at all another language is taught, it is Sanskrit. Very few government schools have English teachers. And there is no question of a Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam teacher.
He further said that in Tamil Nadu, there are 52 Kendriya Vidyalayas, which are run by the Central Government.
“The medium of instruction is English, and they teach either Hindi or Sanskrit. They do not teach Tamil. In the Central government KV, there is no three-language formula. Successive governments in Tamil Nadu for the last 60 years have adopted the two language formula. Tamil as a medium of instruction and English as a second language. But there are a number of private schools that offer Hindi. CBSE schools, ICSE schools offer. Nobody is preventing a child from learning Hindi,” he further said.
He said that there is also the Dakshin Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha, which was established by Mahatma Gandhi almost 100 years ago.
“Lakhs of children voluntarily study Hindi in Tamil Nadu. In government schools, there are two languages, and in rural parts, even that is not taught properly. We are saying to make a success of the two language formula. The New Education Policy accepts that the second language will be English. Make of success of English teaching before talking about third language,” he added.
Earlier, Chief Minister Stalin lashed out at Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and stated that he faced the consequences of reviving a fight he would never win.
CM Stalin said, “The tree may prefer calm, but the wind will not subside. It was the Union Education Minister who provoked us to write this series of letters when we were simply doing our job. He forgot his place and dared to threaten an entire state to accept #HindiImposition, and now he faces the consequences of reviving a fight he can never win. Tamil Nadu will not be blackmailed into surrendering.”
“The biggest irony is that Tamil Nadu, which rejects NEP, has already achieved many of its goals, which the policy aims to reach only by 2030. This is like an LKG student lecturing a PhD holder. Dravidam does not take dictations from Delhi. Instead, it sets the course for the nation to follow,” he further said.
He further alleged that amid the row over the imposition of the three-language formula, the BJP had become a laughing stock in Tamil Nadu.
“Now the BJP’s circus-like signature campaign for the three-language formula has become a laughing stock in Tamil Nadu. I challenge them to make this their core agenda in the 2026 Assembly elections and let it be a referendum on Hindi imposition. History is clear. Those who tried to impose Hindi on Tamil Nadu have either been defeated or later changed their stance and aligned with DMK. Tamil Nadu will not tolerate Hindi colonialism replacing British colonialism,” he added.
“From the names of schemes to awards to Union government institutions, Hindi has been imposed to a nauseating extent, suffocating non-Hindi speakers, who are the majority in India. Men may come, men may go. But even long after the dominance of Hindi is shattered in India, history will remember that it was DMK that stood as the vanguard,” he further added.
