Tamil Nadu — another Kashmir for India

Tamil Nadu politicians insist that enforcing Hindi on the state would be against India’s integrity and pluralism

India’s so-called image of a democratic and stable state has been shattered once again amid the uprising in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. DMK leader A Raja’s remarks that they will be compelled to revive demand for an independent Tamil Nadu (first made by Thanthai Periyar, the father of the Dravidian movement in the 1960s) if state autonomy is denied has triggered controversy. BJP calls it seditious and liable to legal proceedings. BJP’s totalitarian policies whereby the autonomy of the provinces was reduced, a la IIOJK, aggravated the situation. Modi says all states are to be seen the same way, and Home Minister Amit Shah insists “if you want unity, learn Hindi”.

Until his death, Periyar demanded a thani nadu, “but we [DMK] kept aside that demand for our democracy and national integrity,” Raja reportedly said in the presence of Chief Minister MK Stalin. “I am telling Amit Shah and the Prime Minister with utmost humility… I implore you in the presence of [our] leaders on the dais, our Chief Minister is journeying on the path of Anna (CN Annadurai, former CM and DMK founder), do not push us on the path of Periyar. Do not make us seek a separate country, give state autonomy and we will not rest till then,” he said.

BJP has been a longtime critic of DMK, currently ruling Tamil Nadu, and its leaders have expressed antagonism to DMK on a number of matters like plea forwarded to President Kovind by Tamil CM to release those convicted over Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination in 1991.

There was also disagreement over a teacher accused of sexual harassment at PSBB School in Chennai. Separatist tendencies in Tamil Nadu are getting popularity. Tamil Naduis are under threat of a pre-2019 Kashmir-type uprising and proposals for deployment of armed forces and imposition of President’s Rule in the state are under consideration. Anti-state elements had come together to make Tamil Nadu another Kashmir whereas BJP leaders allege that such elements were being funded by neighbouring countries, like Pakistan. Violent agitations against imposition of Hindi language in Tamil Nadu have a long history dating back to pre-independence periods. Mandatory Hindi education was later withdrawn by British Governor of Madras Lord Erskine in February 1940 after the resignation of Congress government in 1939. The agitations of 1965 led to major political changes in the state. The DMK won the 1967 assembly election and Congress never managed to recapture power in state.

In 2014, the Home Ministry ordered government employees and officials of all ministries, departments, corporations and banks, who had made official accounts on social networking sites, to use Hindi, or both Hindi and English. The move was instantly opposed by all political parties in Tamil Nadu, terming it against the Official Languages Act. Indian National Congress, a major opposition party, advised the government to exercise caution, expressing fear that such directives might result in a backlash in non-Hindi states, especially Tamil Nadu. The political drama in Tamil Nadu has severed after BJP made a controversial pitch for bifurcation of the state into South and North with two Chief Ministers. The plan has been strongly opposed by DMK, but the BJP is making use of hate speech and following a divide-and-rule policy.

The Tamil Nadu politicians insist that enforcing Hindi on the people of the state would be against India’s integrity and pluralism. They are reacting strongly to Amit Shah’s statement that people of different states should communicate with each other in Hindi and not English. Oscar winning musician AR Rehman also promoted the Tamil identity in a social media post on Friday. Locals are asking if the BJP wants a Hindi state or an Indian state.

Periyar, the ideological leader of Tamilars, always advocated a separate Tamil Nadu from Indian Union. Nationalists are still very strong in the state and it will be no surprise if they come out campaigning for an independent state if the fascist BJP policies continue.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 14^th, 2022.

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