Tamil Nadu vs Tamil

You can take linguistic insecurities out of Tamil Nadu, but it seems you just cannot take linguistic nationalism out of M. Karunanidhi. The chief ministerial office has, off and on, been with him for a long time now, but even after he returned to power this year, he seems to be consumed by that old zeal to find newer places for Tamil. Over the past months, his government has made Tamil compulsory in primary schools. And he says he now intends to introduce Tamil as the language of the Madras High Court. The chief minister is right when he maintains that he has the constitutional cover to attain this. But we would advise him to pause a while and consider how the move goes against the very notion of federalism that parties like the DMK have done so much to invigorate.

In the years after Independence, protests against imposition of Hindi as the national language reflected two concerns. The first was apprehension that widespread imposition of Hindi would imperil India’s linguistic diversity. The second, and related, concern was that this kind of policymaking from New Delhi reflected an acutely centrist mindset. The decades since, with the use of English having been allowed to continue, have altered things considerably. The first concern is now a distant memory. Hindi has not overpowered languages like Tamil — and Kannada has in fact seen tremendous enrichment since then. English too has lost its colonial patina, and now counts as an Indian language.

Federalism, meanwhile, has been strengthened due to a range of developments. The confidence that accrues from federal strength can be seen in the political accommodations the DMK has made with national political parties. Before Mr Karunanidhi rushes to enforce Tamil in the high court, he should consider the federal structure of India’s justice and administrative system — not the least being the immense talent pool made available due to inter-state movement of capital and skilled labour. This rush to Tamil would isolate Tamil Nadu to its own detriment.