On 4th June, 2022 an anti-Hindi conference was organised in Chennai by the Dravidar Kazhagam (DK). It was presided over by the president of the DK, Dr. K. Veeramani. Many political leaders, cadres and the public attended. At the conference 12 significant resolutions were unanimously moved, adopted and passed as listed and furnished briefly here below: Invariably all the resolutions urge the Union government to act on.
Give up the attempt for undue usage of Hindi
1. On 27th May, 2014, just four days after the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ministers had sworn in, an order was promulgated that all the public sector organisations, banks, external affairs department, various ministers, departments and other government offices should communicate only in Hindi, even while dealing with the social media. In the circular that followed the order, it was stated by the Home ministry that the staff who strictly obey and follow the instruction would be suitably rewarded.
As adumbrated in the eighth schedule of our Constitution, all the 22 languages are to be treated equally as the administrative languages of the Union government. By granting priority to Hindi and causing discrimination among the non-Hindi speaking people would only transform them as second rate citizens. The new cabinet had commenced it as its initial act soon after forming the Government.
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Talking at length about national integration and trying at the same time to divide the country in the name of a language is unfair. It was RESOLVED to firmly urge the Union government to give up this attempt.
Treat Equally all the regional languages
2. Presiding over the 37th meeting of the Official Languages Committee in the Parliament at Delhi in April 2022, the Home Minister Amit Shah delivered a speech which is noteworthy. He had stated thus:
“The Prime Minister has determined that the administrative language of the country itself should be the official language too. This would certainly augment the importance of Hindi language. 70 per cent of the Union Government cabinet agenda is being prepared only in Hindi. The time is now ripe for making the official language Hindi a vital part of national integration. Hindi should be accepted as an alternative for English, not as an alternative for a regional language.”
Amit Shah had also added in his speech that students upto IX std must be offered basic knowledge in Hindi. Hindi exams are to be held much more attentively. People of various states speaking different languages must use only Hindi while communicating among one another.
In his Twitter message Amit Shah had stated that Hindi language is the nation’s identity and hence people should welcome it and use frequently in their day to day life.
It was RESOLVED in the conference to condemn the views of the Home Minister who empowers Hindi, ignoring all the other Regional languages. The conference firmly urges upon a disinterested treatment of all the languages and grant of an impartial, equal treatment and merit to every language.
Avoid Neglecting classical languages and undue patronage to Sanskrit
3. Since the inception of its rule, the Union Government has been earmarking huge sum of money for the development of the dead language Sanskrit. Other State languages such as Tamil, Telugu, Kannada are being allotted comparatively a very low amount every financial year. The Central Institute of Classical Tamil, functioning in Chennai under the Human Resource Development Ministry is also being neglected without any development measure.
Indubitably, this reveals brahminist culture and the Hindutva policy of one nation, one language, one religion and one culture. It is ironical indeed, talking much about national integration and acting against it. This conference condemns this unfair move of the Union government. It is RESOVED to firmly urge it to treat all languages alike without any bias.
Keep up the promise of Jawaharlal Nehru
4. The first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru had guaranteed in the Parliament that Hindi would never be imposed against the will of any State. On the contrary the Home Minister Amit Shah has stressed now the compulsory use of Hindi in all the State government offices. It is RESOLVED to remind the Union Government about the violation and urge it to give up forced imposition of Hindi in State government offices.
Conducting the exams in all the Regional languages
5. Several examinations are being conducted only in Hindi and English by the Union Government. This adversely affects the States of non-Hindi speaking people. It is RESOLVED to strongly urge the Union government to conduct its exams in all the State languages including Tamil, as has been adumbrated in our Constitution. This conference urges the members of the Parliament to unite irrespective of their parties and stress it in the House, by coordinating with the members of non-Hindi Speaking States. It is believed that our objective could be achieved by the collective efforts of all the members of the Parliament.
Provide maximum jobs of PSUs & PSBs to candidates of respective States
6. Under the guise of an All India Level Selection, North Indian Candidates are found in large numbers serving as officers in the Nationalised banks, under the control of the Union Government. This condition prevails in several public sector organizations of the Union government. People find it very difficult to approach such North Indian officers and executives working at public sector establishments in Tamil Nadu. Communication problem becomes a hindrance when they meet North Indian officials to get their grievance redressed.
Hence, it is RESOVED to urge the Union Government to reserve 90 per cent of jobs in every State to the eligible candidates of those particular States. The employment rules followed by the Union Government must be suitably amended to enable the ‘Sons of the Soil’ get preference in placement.
Make the Knowledge of Respective State languages mandatory in clerical posts by Union government
7. While the number of North Indian officers in Nationalised bank is already on the rise for many years in the recent past, the placement of North Indians in ‘Clerical posts has also been increasing. The rule that clerks appointed should be well versed in the language of the particular State has been relaxed. Instead, it is modified as ‘Knowledge in the State’s language is ‘PREFERABLE’. Taking advantage of this word which implies that it is not essential, clerical posts are also getting filled up with North Indian candidates. By the efforts of Dravidar Kazhagam there is now a widespread awareness among people. It is hence RESOLVED to urge the Union government to bring back into force the same old rule that knowledge in a State’s language is compulsory to work as clerks in banks located in that particular State.
Appoint the respective State language officers
8. To encourage the use of Hindi, in all the departments of the Union Government and the public sector establishments under its control, OFFICIAL LANGUAGE OFFICERS have been appointed to teach Hindi to the employees of other States. People from other States are employed in Tamil Nadu. In order to ensure smooth functioning, they need knowledge in Tamil. Hence it is RESOLVED to urge the Union Government to appoint official language officers in Tamil Nadu to teach them Tamil. In every State such official language officers should be appointed to teach the language of that particular State, to the employees who hail from other States.
Introduce State Education Policy in lieu of NEP 2020
9. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been saying that the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 encourages teaching in a student’s mother tongue. But the policy advises such teaching “as far as possible”. It says students upto V std – could be taught in vernacular language.
This is against our Constitution. The entire NEP gives prominence only to Sanskrit and Hindi. The Government of Tamil Nadu has rejected NEP outright. It is RESOLVED to thank it for the proposal to introduce a State Education Policy.
Curtail undue infiltration of immigrants
10. The dominance of North Indians in Tamil Nadu is undeniably alarming. More than seven million youngsters are unemployed here but North Indians are monopolising placements here. Moreover law and order problems are also on the rise by the involvement of North Indian migrants. They are found time again in our crime reports. It is RESOLVED to urge the Union Government to chalk out measures to solve this particular problem. This serious issue should not be ignored by it. The infiltration of North Indians is posing a real threat to our State. It must be curbed somehow by the Union Government. Hence it is resolved to get this achieved.
Name the Welfare Schemes easy to understand
11. Various welfare schemes introduced time and again by the Union Government are all in Hindi. People of non-Hindi speaking States can never decipher what those names mean. For example – “INDRA DHANUSH YOJNA”. It is RESOLVED to urge the Union Government to translate the names of its schemes in all the languages so that everyone can understand what the scheme is meant for. The names of schemes in Hindi are really baffling. Hence, it must cease.
Name in Tamil the newborn children of Tamil Nadu
12. RESOLVED to urge all the people of Tamil Nadu to name in Tamil all the newborn children, and to use Tamil in all the family events and temple worship. The conference urges the Government of Tamil Nadu to contribute its mite towards promoting Tamil language in all spheres to the maximum possible extent.
The anti-Hindi conference concluded with the adoption of the twelfth resolution.
