Chennai, Oct 18 (PTI) Governor R N Ravi on Friday claimed that an attempt was being made to segregate or isolate Tamil Nadu from the rest of India on the basis of language and cautioned such an attempt will not fructify.
Also, he alleged that Tamil Nadu was the lone state in the country to resist the inclusion of other Indian languages in the three-language formula, whereas 27 other states have accepted the policy.
The narrative against Hindi (imposition) was an excuse, he said, referring to opposition to this language by the political parties in the state. “They want to break the communication.. a toxic policy and a separatist policy cannot weaken the unity of India,” the Governor said, while speaking at the valedictory of Hindi month held at Doordarshan Tamil office here.
“An attempt to segregate, to cut, isolate Tamil Nadu from the rest of the country is being made. This separatist agenda to break this country and those who think in these lines must remember that India cannot be bisected,” Ravi said.
He claimed that a narrative against Hindi has been set in the state for the last 50 years, but in reality, many schools run by linguistic minorities had to approach the Supreme Court for permission to teach in their mother tongue.
The Annamalai and Alagappa universities that were once known for promoting Sanskrit have wound up Sanskrit departments and the vibrant Sanskrit department at Madras University is now non-starer, he said.
“For 50 years, poison has been filled in the minds of our people, a disconnect from the rest of the country … this toxic and separatist policy cannot weaken the unity of India,” Ravi cautioned.
He alleged that there were forces bent on weakening India in the name of language, race, and claims of threat to the Constitution.
Nothing was done by the state to take Tamil beyond Tamil Nadu, he said, and reminded that it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who spread Tamil to the rest of the world and to other parts of the country.
“The standard of Tamil is far from satisfactory in the state universities. Much politics is being done around the language by making it an emotive issue,” he said.
The Governor said in reality he noticed a growing enthusiasm among the people of Tamil Nadu to learn Hindi and there was a greater acceptance of Hindi among the people of the state. PTI JSP KH
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