Hindi is mask, Sanskrit is the hidden face: Stalin on govt spending on languages
Jun 24, 2025 01:29 PM IST
Chennai: Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin on Tuesday alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s real intention is to impose Sanskrit and Hindi is only a facade, while highlighting a Hindustan Times report which revealed the Union government had spent ₹ 2532.59 crore on the promotion of Sanskrit between 2014-15 and 2024-25, 17 times the combined spending of ₹ 147.56 crore on the other five classical Indian languages–– Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Odia. The HT report was based on data obtained through a Right to Information (RTI) application. Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin (File Photo)
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader said, 'Sanskrit gets the crores; Tamil and other South Indian languages get nothing but crocodile tears,' Stalin posted on X. Earlier in March, in a letter to DMK party cadre, Stalin had said, 'We will oppose Hindi imposition. Hindi is the mask, Sanskrit is the hidden face.'
The Tamil Nadu government has been opposing the National Education Policy (NEP) which mandates a three-language formula. The DMK government sees it as a move by the BJP-led Union government to impose Hindi. The DMK has been locked in a language battle with the BJP since February, which has since expanded to become a key issue in the state ahead of the 2026 assembly elections. Tamil Nadu wants to continue its two-language formula of English and Tamil, which has been in practice since 1968 in the state.
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