The Language Battle: South and East India Resist BJP’s Hindi Imposition

As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) intensifies its push for Hindi imposition through the National Education Policy (NEP), southern and eastern states of India are mobilizing in fierce opposition, claiming that the policy threatens their linguistic and cultural autonomy.

The debate over Hindi’s place in India’s education system has reignited a long-standing issue that has historical roots and deep political significance. While the BJP defends the three-language formula as a means of promoting national unity, the push to make Hindi mandatory alongside English and regional languages has triggered protests across non-Hindi states, including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, West Bengal, and Telangana.

Also See: Delhi 2025: BJP’s Saffron Surge, Secular Slide

The Push for Hindi and the Three-Language Formula

The three-language formula was first introduced in the 1960s to foster multilingualism. However, under the BJP government, the policy has been reinterpreted in ways that critics argue promote Hindi over regional languages. The NEP 2020, introduced by the Modi government, recommended the teaching of Hindi alongside English and local languages. While the policy aims to create a more cohesive national identity, many in the southern and eastern regions view it as an attempt to impose linguistic uniformity and disregard their cultural diversity.

The issue has resurfaced recently after the government’s persistent push to enforce the policy, despite opposition from regional political leaders and civil society. In particular, the BJP has sought to implement the policy through the centralization of education, employment, and administrative functions, with a clear tilt towards Hindi.

A History of Resistance

The resistance to Hindi imposition in South India has a long history. In 1937, when then-Madras Presidency’s Chief Minister C. Rajagopalachari (Rajaji) attempted to make Hindi the sole national language, it sparked a massive anti-Hindi agitation in Tamil Nadu. The agitation, led by social reformers and political figures, was so intense that it ultimately forced the central government to back down. The issue resurfaced in 1965 when another attempt was made to impose Hindi as a compulsory language. Massive protests, including hunger strikes and statewide demonstrations, forced the government to abandon the proposal. Tamil Nadu’s strong cultural identity, rooted in its Dravidian language and heritage, has been the cornerstone of its resistance against any form of Hindi imposition.

In recent years, as the BJP has strengthened its political influence, especially in the northern and western states, Tamil Nadu’s opposition has been reinforced by growing support from other southern and eastern states that share similar concerns over regional language rights.

March 2025: The NEP’s Latest Push

The issue reignited with full force in March 2025 when the BJP-led government, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, continued its push for Hindi to be a compulsory language in schools and government functions. This renewed effort to implement the three-language formula has drawn sharp criticism from political leaders in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, West Bengal, and Telangana, who argue that it undermines the linguistic and cultural rights of their people.

A particularly contentious issue has been the modification of textbooks to include Hindi-centric narratives, leaving regional languages, such as Tamil, Kannada, and Telugu, underrepresented in the curriculum. As the implementation of the NEP gathers pace, critics warn that regional languages will be sidelined, further deepening the cultural divide between Hindi-speaking and non-Hindi-speaking states.

Financial and Administrative Penalties

One of the most significant flashpoints of this ongoing debate has been the withholding of ₹2,152 crore (approximately $290 million) in educational grants to Tamil Nadu. The central government, in a bid to enforce the NEP’s language mandates, withheld these funds, ostensibly as a consequence of Tamil Nadu’s refusal to adopt Hindi in its schools. The move has been seen as a direct punishment for the state’s defiance and has only served to heighten tensions between the Centre and the southern states. Critics argue that such actions are part of a broader trend in which the BJP’s central government uses financial and administrative control to impose its policies on states that reject its agenda. This practice has been described by some as an attempt to centralize power and force regional governments into compliance with the BJP’s vision for a unified, Hindi-speaking nation.

The Role of Political Leaders

In Tamil Nadu, the DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) party, a key political player in the state, has been at the forefront of the opposition. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has led the charge against the imposition of Hindi, drawing comparisons to the 1937 and 1965 protests that successfully blocked attempts to make Hindi the sole national language. In March 2025, Stalin publicly challenged the BJP to push Hindi imposition in Tamil Nadu in 2026, echoing the defiance of previous generations. Stalin dares the BJP to continue this push, emphasizing that Tamil Nadu will reject any move that threatens its linguistic autonomy.

Karnataka, Kerala, and Telangana have voiced their support for Tamil Nadu, with leaders from these states rallying against the NEP’s language policies. In Karnataka, where Kannada is the official language, political parties have expressed their dissatisfaction with the unequal treatment of regional languages in comparison to Hindi. Kerala, with its strong Malayalam-speaking population, and Telangana, where Telugu is widely spoken, have also rejected the Hindi-first approach, demanding fair treatment for their native languages in the educational system.

Cultural and Economic Repercussions

The BJP’s push for Hindi imposition is not merely a linguistic issue but also a cultural one. Many in non-Hindi states view this as an infringement upon their cultural heritage and autonomy. Regional political leaders argue that the promotion of Hindi as the dominant language in public life would diminish the importance of local languages, leading to their eventual marginalization.

Economically, there is also a growing concern about job discrimination. Critics argue that Hindi speakers are given preferential treatment in central government exams and job markets, making it more difficult for non-Hindi speakers to access opportunities in a country where regional linguistic diversity is a core feature of daily life. This issue has been exacerbated by the BJP’s emphasis on Hindi-first policies, which have been described as contributing to a new form of “Hindi colonialism.”

Conclusion

As the BJP’s Hindi imposition agenda intensifies, the political resistance from South and East India shows no signs of abating. With a history of linguistic resistance dating back to the 1930s, Tamil Nadu and its allies in other non-Hindi states continue to challenge the central government’s push for Hindi dominance. The current standoff represents more than just a disagreement over language; it is a battle for the cultural, political, and economic autonomy of regional states in a country defined by its diversity.

The outcome of this struggle will determine the future of India’s multilingual identity, as the central government faces increasing pushback from regions that have long resisted the imposition of Hindi and its cultural significance. The issue of linguistic equality remains central, with critics asking, if national unity is the goal, why does the government not offer reciprocal space for non-Hindi languages in the states where Hindi is the dominant tongue?

SAT Commentaries’ are social media threads by various authors, reproduced here for website use. Views are their own.

SAT Commentary

SAT Commentaries, a collection of insightful social media threads on current events and social issues, featuring diverse perspectives from various authors.