'Let North Indians learn Tamil too': Kanimozhi hits back at Amit Shah
Shah recently stated that Hindi is not a rival to any Indian language but a friend to all, and emphasised that no language should face opposition in the country
As the language debate continues to escalate, Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently stated that Hindi is not an enemy of any language. In response, DMK MP Kanimozhi remarked on Saturday (June 28) that Tamil is no enemy either and urged people from North India to take the initiative to learn the language.
Also read | Amit Shah: Those who speak English will soon 'feel ashamed'
Shah recently stated that Hindi is not a rival to any Indian language but a friend to all, and emphasised that no language should face opposition in the country.
Doesn’t name Shah
“If Hindi is not the enemy of any language, then Tamil is also not the enemy of any language. Let them learn Tamil. Let the people of North India learn at least one South Indian language. That is true national integration,” she said.
The DMK leader stressed, “We are not anyone’s enemy. We are friends to all. Learn our language too.” Notably, she did not name Shah in her comments.
The MK Stalin-led DMK government in Tamil Nadu has been locked in a heated standoff with the Centre, accusing it of attempting to impose Hindi in the state, particularly through the National Education Policy (NEP), which mandates the teaching of three languages in schools.
TN’s fight against NEP
Tamil Nadu has alleged that the policy is a backdoor attempt to introduce Hindi forcefully, often accusing the Centre of withholding education funds from the state due to its refusal to implement the policy.
Earlier this week, Amit Shah said that language had been used in the past as a tool to divide India, but such attempts had never succeeded. He added that the Modi government would ensure Indian languages become a strong medium for uniting the country.
Also read | What is India's national language? Unity in Diversity, replies Kanimozhi
He reiterated that Hindi is not an opponent of any Indian language, but a friend to all, and added that there should also be no opposition to any Indian language in the country.
These remarks came just days after Shah stated that those who speak English would soon feel ashamed and that the formation of such a society is imminent.