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Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi with Chief Minister MK Stalin. (PTI file photo)
Ravi said that he has observed a growing enthusiasm among the people of Tamil Nadu to learn Hindi in recent years
Amid condemnation over the celebration of Hindi Month in Tamil Nadu, which has reignited the longstanding Hindi and non-Hindi speaking debate, Governor RN Ravi on Friday said that criticism of Hindi is an “excuse.” He also noted that he has seen a growing enthusiasm among the people in the state to learn Hindi in recent years.
“Talk against Hindi is an excuse. You celebrate Kannada Diwas, Malayalam Diwas, Telugu Diwas… I assure you there will be protests here by some people,” Ravi stated.
He further added: “In the last three years, I have visited almost every nook and corner of the state, participated in events, and interacted with students in schools and colleges. I have seen the growing enthusiasm among people of Tamil Nadu to learn Hindi.”
The Governor made these comments while addressing the Hindi Month event at the Doordarshan Tamil office in Chennai.
This event has huge sparked controversy, with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin condemning it, stating that such celebrations in a multilingual nation like India belittle other languages.
‘Attempt to belittle other languages’: Stalin
Earlier today, Stalin in a post on X condemned the event and called out Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that holding Hindi month events in states where Hindi is not the primary language is seen as an attempt to “belittle other languages.”
I strongly condemn the celebration of Hindi Month valedictory function along with the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Chennai Doordarshan.Hon’ble @PMOIndia,
The Constitution of India does not grant national language status to any language. In a multilingual nation, celebrating…
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) October 18, 2024
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president further noted that the Constitution of India does not designate any language as the national language
Tamil Nadu CM further suggested that “holding such Hindi-oriented events in non-Hindi speaking states could be avoided, and instead, the celebration of the local language month in the respective states should be encouraged.”
