"Hindi not language of imposition,"say TN Governor RN Ravi, CM Stalin criticises him

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], October 18 : Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi on Friday addressed the issue of the language acceptance and noted that there are forces, both within and outside India, aiming to hinder the country's growth, following the strong opposition from the Tamil Nadu government over the celebration of the Hindi Month valedictory function along with the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Chennai Doordarshan.
Ravi, acknowledged the changing perception of the Hindi language in Tamil Nadu and said that initially it met resistance but he later found that many students in the state have become proficient in Hindi. He emphasised that Hindi should not be viewed as an imposition but as a language to be celebrated alongside other languages.
"First, when I came here, Hindi was not a welcome language in Tamil Nadu but when I started meeting students, I was happily surprised that their Hindi was better than mine. There is a greater acceptance of Hindi among people of Tamil Nadu... Hindi is not a language of imposition of language in Tamil Nadu. Each language is to be celebrated. Each language is for all of us to be proud of," the governor said.
"There are entities from India inside and outside to make India not grow... Today India is awake with confidence. We are among the top three start-ups in the world. We have gone the moon and way beyond. The world is acknowledging," he added.
The governor expressed concern over a perceived attempt to isolate Tamil Nadu from the rest of India, describing such efforts as a "toxic and separatist policy" and saying that this cannot weaken the nation. He said the country was moving forward with PM Modi and that India is rising in its way but there are forces trying to weaken India, taking us back to where it drives us from inside and outside.
He pointed out that while 27 states in India have embraced a three-language formula, Tamil Nadu has been resistant to the inclusion of other languages, which he believes hampers communication and unity among states. He remarked that this linguistic isolation creates challenges for youth in Tamil Nadu, making it difficult for them to connect with peers in neighbouring states like Karnataka.
"There is a consistent attempt to isolate Tamil Nadu from India... A toxic and separatist policy cannot weaken the Bharat. Today, when our country is moving forward with PM Modi... India is rising, and at the same time there are forces trying to weaken India and take us back where it drives from inside and outside," Ravi said.
"We have 28 states in this country. Where 27 states have three language formulas. Tamil Nadu is the only state that does not allow even other languages. they want to break the communication with other states of India. Their attitude today is that our youth find it difficult to go to Karnataka, etc," he added.
Discussing the role of Doordharshan, Ravi emphasised the importance of accurate information dissemination and criticised the narrative created over the past 50 years over toxic and separatist policy. He asserted that DD prioritised national interest in its programming.
"As far as DD is concerned, a lot of toxicity was made in the last 50 years to the people of our country. DD worked on it...There is a great degree of ignorance among our people... DD is nation first... and should give correct information. Most of the channels are compromised here. It's DD should make correct information to people," he said.
Following this, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin slammed the Governor and questioned if he was an "Aryan."
"Governor? Are you an Aryan? Removing the word Dravidian and chanting Tamil Thai greetings is against the law of Tamil Nadu! A person who does not act according to the law and acts according to his will is not fit to hold that office. In the guise of celebrating India, the governor is insulting the unity of the country and the people of different races living in this land," Stalin said.
He also called for the recall of the governor for "deliberately insulting" the people of Tamil Nadu.
"Will the governor who suffers from Dravidian allergy ask them to leave out Dravidian in the national anthem? The Union Government should immediately recall the governor who is deliberately insulting Tamil Nadu and the sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu," he added.