New Delhi [India], February 27 : Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday questioned Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi over his stance on the Tamil Nadu government's resistance towards the three-language policy in the state.
Vaishnaw in a post on X, responded to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin's post wherein he said that the push for a "monolithic Hindi identity" is what 'killed' the "ancient mother tongues."
"Poor governance will never be hidden by such shallow attempts to divide society. It will be interesting to know what the Leader of the Opposition,@RahulGandhiJi, has to say on this subject. Does he, as MP of a Hindi-speaking seat, agree?" posted Vaishnaw on X.
This comes after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin's post on X on the three-language policy.
"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," MK Stalin's post read.
"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," read the post from Stalin.
Tamil organisations and state parties have accused the central government of trying to impose Hindi on Tamil Nadu, though the Union government has maintained that it respects the Tamil language and is not forcing any other language on the state.
Earlier on February 26, Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a scathing attack on the ruling DMK government in Tamil Nadu, accusing its leaders of corruption and misgovernance.
Speaking at the inauguration of BJP district offices in Coimbatore, Tiruvannamalai, and Ramanathapuram, Shah said, "In cases of corruption, all the leaders of the DMK hold a master's degree. One of their leaders is embroiled in a cash-for-jobs case, another is involved in money laundering and illegal sand mining, and a third is facing charges related to disproportionate assets."
Rejecting CM MK Stalin's allegations that Tamil Nadu was denied central funds, Shah said, "There is no truth in MK Stalin's statement. The Modi government has given Rs 5 lakh crore to Tamil Nadu in the last five years."
Mocking the DMK, Shah said that those involved in corruption should join the membership drive of MK Stalin's party.
The DMK has been vocal about protecting the Tamil language and resisting any efforts to make Hindi 'more dominant', arguing that it would undermine Tamil culture and identity.
The DMK has raised significant concerns over its implications on education in Tamil Nadu, accusing the central government of using the policy to "impose religious ideas on the education system."