"Never opposed Hindi as language, only objected to making it compulsory": Pawan Kalyan clarifies stance amid NEP row

Amaravathi (Andhra Pradesh) [India], March 15 : Amid the ongoing tussle between the Centre and Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan on Saturday clarified his stance on the Hindi language debate, asserting that he has never opposed Hindi as a language but only objected to its compulsory imposition.
In a post on X, speaking out against the misinterpretation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Kalyan emphasized that the policy offers students the flexibility to choose from a range of Indian languages, including their mother tongue, alongside a foreign language.
"Either imposing a language forcibly or opposing a language blindly; both don't help to achieve the objective of National & Cultural integration of our Bharat. I had never opposed Hindi as a language. I only opposed making it compulsory. When the NEP 2020 itself does not enforce Hindi, spreading false narratives about its imposition is nothing but an attempt to mislead the public," Kalyan said.
The Jana Sena Chief condemned the spreading of false narratives about the imposition of Hindi, stating that such claims mislead the public and undermine the objective of fostering national unity and linguistic diversity.
"As per NEP 2020, students have the flexibility to learn any two Indian languages (including their mother tongue) along with a foreign language. If they do not wish to study Hindi, they can and also opt for Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Sanskrit, Gujarati, Assamese, Kashmiri, Odia, Bengali, Punjabi, Sindhi, Bodo, Dogri, Konkani, Maithili, Meitei, Nepali, Santali, Urdu, or any other Indian language," he said.
"The multi-language policy is designed to empower students with choice, promote national unity, and preserve India's rich linguistic diversity. Misinterpreting this policy for political agendas and claiming that Pawan Kalyan changed his stance only reflects a lack of understanding. Jana Sena Party firmly stands by the principle of linguistic freedom and educational choice for every Indian," Pawan Kalyan said.
On Friday, Kalyan criticised Tamil Nadu politicians for what he called "hypocrisy" regarding the alleged imposition of Hindi in the state.
He pointed out that while these leaders oppose Hindi, they allow Tamil movies to be dubbed in the language for financial gain.
Kalyan's comments come amid Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin accusing the Union government of 'Hindi imposition' and refusing to implement the three-language formula laid out in the NEP as a protest.