'You must know Hindi to buy tea, pani puri, or use toilets in North India': Stalin ups ante

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin called upon the Centre not to ‘penalise’ the southern states by determining the parliamentary constituencies based on population alone and warned such an attempt will be resisted.

Tamil Nadu and his DMK would never accept if such an injustice was meted out to the state through the parliamentary constituency delimitation exercise, he said.

Stalin, advocating for artificial intelligence and advanced translation technology as an alternative, said students shouldn't be compelled to learn an additional language. "True progress lies in innovation, not linguistic imposition," he said.

Translation tech

He challenged BJP leaders' stance, noting their arguments about Hindi's necessity for daily activities in North India could be addressed through AI solutions.

"BJP leaders advocating Hindi insist - You must know Hindi to buy tea, pani puri, or use toilets in North India. In the age of AI, forcing any language as a third language in schools is unnecessary. Advanced translation technology already removes language barriers instantly," Stalin posted on X.

"Students should not be burdened with extra languages. They should focus on mastering their mother tongue and English while gaining expertise in science and technology. If needed, they can learn any language later," he added.

"Our demand is clear - don't determine parliamentary constituencies based on population alone. Do not penalise the southern states that took responsible measures to control population growth," Stalin, who is president of DMK, said in a video message.

Also read: Huge demand for NEP implementation, says Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi

‘Won’t compromise on TN’s future’

If such an ‘injustice’ was enforced, then Tamil Nadu and the DMK would never accept it, he stressed in his message on the eve of his 72nd birthday.

“We must take a pledge that we will never compromise on Tamil Nadu's welfare and future for anyone or anything. We must stand together and fight for our state's rights. Tamil Nadu will resist, and win,” Stalin said in his appeal to party cadres.

"Normally, I don't celebrate my birthday grandly or ostentatiously. But my party cadres engage in activities such as distributing welfare assistance to the people, organise public meetings to highlight our government's achievements and propagating our party's ideals," he said.

This time on his birthday, he reminded them of two critical challenges confronting the state - "the battle for language, which is our lifeline, and the fight against delimitation, which is our right." He urged the party workers to convey the true essence of battle to the people as the constituency delimitation directly impacted the state's self-respect, social justice, and welfare schemes for the people.

‘Rise to defend the state’

"You should take this message to the people. Every one of you must rise to defend our state. We are the pioneers in this ideological battle showing the path for the entire country," Stalin stressed.

Also read: Stalin says Hindi has destroyed 25 north Indian languages, including ancient ones

He claimed that voices of solidarity were emerging from Karnataka, Punjab, Telangana and beyond, and noticing this resistance, the Centre insisted on not imposing its will upon the states. "Yet all their actions suggest otherwise," the Chief Minister said.

The three-language policy has already resulted in withholding of Tamil Nadu’s rightful funds. Similarly, they claim that they would not reduce Tamil Nadu's parliamentary seats but were unwilling to assure that the representation of other states will not be disproportionately increased, Stalin said.