Stalin says Hindi has destroyed 25 north Indian languages, including ancient ones
In his X post, Stalin lists out 19 languages which, he says, have been swallowed by Hindi, and goes on to say that "many more are now gasping for survival"
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday (February 27) took to social media platform X to warn his “sisters and brothers from other states” that “what kills ancient mother tongues is the push for a monolithic Hindi identity”.
Stalin claimed that the forced adoption of Hindi in other states had "destroyed 25 native north Indian languages in 100 years" and reminded people of other states in India how their own mother tongues “have been swallowed by Hindi”.
The ruling BJP dismissing the remark as "silly".
Killing ancient languages
"The push for a 'monolithic Hindi identity' is what kills ancient languages," he said, adding that Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were never 'Hindi heartlands' and had their own languages.
"Their real languages are now relics of the past," Stalin pointed out.
Stalin's remarks comes even as southern states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Telangana are pushing back against the Centre’s attempts to impose Hindi through the New Education Policy (NEP).
Also Read: Will not implement NEP even if Rs 10,000 crore offered to TN: CM Stalin
The DMK, which Stalin heads, spearheaded the agitations against the imposition of Hindi in the state in the past, and reaped rich electoral dividends. The state government is now taking on the Centre, represented by its education ministry and the University Grants Commission (UGC), head-on in refusing to implement the NEP and the imposition of Hindi “through the backdoor”.
Languages swallowed by Hindi’
Stalin lists out not less than 19 languages which he says have been swallowed by Hindi, and he goes on to say that “many more are now gasping for survival”.
“My dear sisters and brothers from other states. Ever wondered how many Indian languages Hindi has swallowed? Bhojpuri, Maithili, Awadhi, Braj, Bundeli, Garhwali, Kumaoni, Magahi, Marwari, Malvi, Chhattisgarhi, Santhali, Angika, Ho, Kharia, Khortha, Kurmali, Kurukh, Mundari and many more are now gasping for survival,” wrote Stalin on X.
Also Read: Tamilians have died for their language, so don't play with it: Kamal Haasan
Why TN resists
In a post on X Thursday morning, he also slammed the Centre - which had countered the 'Hindi imposition' criticism by accusing Tamil political leaders of twisting facts to build a favourable political narrative for the 2026 election. Stalin said the Centre was "attacking languages to destroy race and culture".
The DMK leader also listing some of his party's objections to the 'imposition' of Hindi said that the centre contradicted itself when it said school students in any state can learn any language but it does not actually offer Tamil as a subject.
According to Stalin, Sanskrit is given primacy under the new National Education Policy's contentious three-language formula, which mandates students across central and state-administered school boards to learn their mother tongue, English, and a third language of their choice.
The TN chief minister ends his post on X with an emphatic statement, “Tamil Nadu resists because we know where this ends.”
“The push for a monolithic Hindi identity is what kills ancient mother tongues. UP and Bihar were never just ‘Hindi heartlands’. Their real languages are now relics of the past. Tamil Nadu resists because we know where this ends,” Stalin concluded in his post on X.