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The political battle over the alleged imposition of a third language under the National Education Policy (NEP) has escalated in Tamil Nadu, with BJP state chief K Annamalai launching a scathing attack on Chief Minister MK Stalin. The controversy has reignited tensions between the BJP and the ruling DMK, further polarizing the debate on language policies in the state.
On Friday, Annamalai took to X (formerly Twitter) to highlight the BJP’s ongoing signature campaign in support of NEP. He claimed that the campaign had received an overwhelming response from the people of Tamil Nadu, gathering over two lakh signatures in just 36 hours. In a direct jab at Stalin, Annamalai stated, “Thiru MK Stalin, our online signature campaign through http://puthiyakalvi.in is supported by over 2 lakh people within 36 hours, and our on-ground signature campaign continues to receive an overwhelming reception across TN. As the TN CM, you seem visibly rattled, and your rants against the signature campaign mean nothing to us.”
Thiru @mkstalin avl, our online signature campaign through https://t.co/turEZWjO2J is supported by over 2 lakh people within 36 hours, and our on-ground signature campaign continues to receive an overwhelming reception across TN.
As the TN CM, you seem visibly rattled, and your… https://t.co/9Id8nXuvid
Advertisement · Scroll to continue— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) March 7, 2025
Annamalai further criticized the DMK’s inability to carry out a successful signature campaign against NEET, alleging that party workers had to discard campaign pamphlets after realizing their futility. “Despite being in power, you couldn’t carry out a signature campaign against NEET, and remember that your cadres had to throw the pamphlets in the dustbin after realizing where they truly belonged. Thiru MK Stalin, stop swinging your paper word against the delusional Hindi imposition. Your fake Hindi imposition drama has already been exposed. It’s unfortunate that you haven’t realized it yet,” he asserted.
Stalin’s challenge
BJP leader’s remarks were in response to an earlier post by MK Stalin, in which the Tamil Nadu CM mocked the BJP’s campaign, calling it a “circus.” Stalin challenged the BJP to make the three-language formula a core agenda in the 2026 Assembly elections and let it serve as a referendum on Hindi imposition. “Now the BJP’s circus-like signature campaign for the three-language formula has become a laughing stock in Tamil Nadu. I challenge them to make this their core agenda in the 2026 Assembly elections and let it be a referendum on Hindi imposition. History is clear. Those who tried to impose Hindi on Tamil Nadu have either been defeated or later changed their stance and aligned with DMK. Tamil Nadu will not tolerate Hindi colonialism replacing British colonialism,” Stalin wrote.
🎯 “The tree may prefer calm, but the wind will not subside.” It was the Union Education Minister who provoked us to write this series of letters when we were simply doing our job. He forgot his place and dared to threaten an entire state to accept #HindiImposition, and now he… pic.twitter.com/pePfCnk8BS
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) March 7, 2025
Hindi imposition is on discussion
Stalin also accused the BJP-led central government of excessive Hindi imposition in various spheres, including scheme names, awards, and union government institutions, arguing that it suffocates non-Hindi-speaking communities in India. He declared that the DMK had historically stood at the forefront of resisting Hindi dominance and would continue to do so.
“From the names of schemes to awards to Union government institutions, Hindi has been imposed to a nauseating extent, suffocating non-Hindi speakers, who are the majority in India. Men may come, men may go. But even long after the dominance of Hindi is shattered in India, history will remember that it was DMK that stood as the vanguard,” Stalin added.
The exchange between Annamalai and Stalin underscores the deep-rooted language politics in Tamil Nadu, a state with a long history of opposing Hindi imposition. With the 2026 Assembly elections on the horizon, the debate over language policies is likely to remain a pivotal issue in the state’s political landscape.
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