Journalism of Courage
Raising the pitch against imposition of Hindi,an issue with political overtones in Tamil Nadu’s history,DMK chief M Karunanidhi today said it is condemnable that former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s assurance in this regard is being ignored.
Claiming that a circular issued to LIC personnel following a meeting on June 29 had asked them to mandatorily sign at least once in a week in Hindi besides carrying correspondence in that language to promote it,he said “the anti-Hindi agitation started because of such circulars.”
It is condemnable that the assurance given by Pandit Nehru (that the language will not be imposed on non-Hindi speaking states) has been forgotten and it is unnecessarily being imposed again. The question before us is whether the Centre will take note of this and act, he said,responding to a set
of questions in the party mouthpiece ‘Murasoli’.
The 88-year-old DMK leader,whose party is a key constituent of the ruling UPA at the Centre,expressed doubts if Nehru’s assurances will remain merely on paper.
The anti-Hindi agitation,launched against the imposition of Hindi,played a major role in Dravidian politics with an upsurge among the students aiding the DMK in making it a state-wide movement in the 1960s.
