Lagatar24 Desk
Chennai: The debate over India’s language policy flared up on Thursday as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin hit back at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, accusing him of indulging in “political black comedy” over the ongoing three-language row. The exchange has escalated tensions between the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government and the BJP amid national discussions on linguistic diversity, federalism, and cultural autonomy.
Responding to Adityanath’s remarks supporting the central government’s push for the three-language formula under the National Education Policy (NEP), Stalin defended Tamil Nadu’s longstanding opposition and reiterated the state’s commitment to its two-language policy—Tamil and English.
“Tamil Nadu’s fair and firm voice on #TwoLanguagePolicy and #FairDelimitation is echoing nationwide—and the BJP is clearly rattled. Just watch their leaders’ interviews. And now Hon’ble Yogi Adityanath wants to lecture us on hate? Spare us. This isn’t irony—it’s political black comedy at its darkest,” Stalin posted on X.
Stalin: Not About Hate, But About Justice
Stalin clarified that the opposition was never about Hindi or any specific language, but about resisting cultural imposition. “We don’t oppose any language; we oppose imposition and chauvinism. This isn’t riot-for-votes politics. This is a battle for dignity and justice,” he wrote.
His comments came in response to Yogi Adityanath, who had criticised the DMK, claiming that Stalin was fuelling linguistic and regional divides for electoral gains. “When they sense their vote bank is under threat, they attempt to create divisions along regional and linguistic lines,” Adityanath said in an ANI interview, warning against what he termed as “narrow politics”.
Adityanath had also emphasised Hindi’s role in national unity and praised Tamil as one of the country’s oldest languages, citing the Kashi-Tamil Sangamam as a symbol of linguistic harmony.
Annamalai Hits Back, Calls Stalin a Hypocrite
Adding fuel to the fire, Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai lashed out at Stalin, accusing him of being a “con artist” and branding the DMK’s resistance as hypocritical.
“Usually, con artists scam the rich, but DMK shows no disparity; they scam both the rich and the poor,” Annamalai said in a post on X. “The CM’s family runs private schools that teach three languages, but he denies the same to students in government schools.”
He further alleged that Stalin’s political drama was staged and did not reflect the voice of the people of Tamil Nadu. “It is unfortunate that you haven’t realised that your attempts to divert people’s attention to insignificant matters have been exposed,” he said.
Wider Political Context
The three-language formula, encouraged by the BJP-led central government, has faced consistent resistance in Tamil Nadu, where language is deeply linked to identity and historical opposition to Hindi imposition. The DMK has used this issue to galvanize support against what it terms as central overreach, particularly in education and cultural policy.
The recent war of words comes amid speculation of political realignments ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, and as the central government pushes for uniformity under NEP 2020.
