Chennai/Bangalore: Following a sharp backlash in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka over its order to print dahi – the Hindi word for curd – on packets marketed by the milk federations of the two southern states, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has scrapped the directive.
The FSSAI Thursday retracted its notification dated 11 January, 2023, which ordered labelling of curd as dahi and usage of the regional terms, such as tayir (Tamil) and mosaru (Kannada) in brackets next to the Hindi term on the packet.
Following allegations raised by both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu of imposition of Hindi, FSSAI put out a statement saying: “As many representations were received recently on omission of the term ‘curd’ from the Standards of Fermented Milk Products, it has been decided that FBOs may use the term ‘curd’ along with any other designation (prevalent regional common name) in brackets on the label.”
In Tamil Nadu, led by the DMK, Chief Minister MK Stalin had slammed the FSSAI’s directive as “unabashed Hindi imposition”, while in Karnataka, although the BJP-led Basavaraj Bommai government has been cautious in its response, sections of civil society and opposition parties criticised the move.
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DMK, BJP oppose ‘dahi’ in Tamil Nadu
Aavin, the state-owned manufacturer of milk and dairy products in Tamil Nadu, had, according to senior officials who spoke to ThePrint, written to the FSSAI stating that Aavin would continue to print “curd” in English and “tayir” in Tamil on its milk packets.
Criticising the FSSAI, Stalin wrote on Twitter: “Unabashed insistences of Hindi imposition have come to the extent of directing us to label even a curd packet in Hindi, relegating Tamil and Kannada in our own states”.
“Such brazen disregard to our mother tongues will make sure that those responsible are banished from the south forever,” he added.
State BJP president K Annamalai, too, demanded that the FSSAI “roll back the notification” immediately.
“The notification released by FSSAI for the use of “Dhahi” in curd sachets produced by state-run cooperative societies is not in tandem with the policy of our Hon PM Thiru @narendramodi avl to promote regional languages,” he tweeted.
Tamil Nadu dairy development minister S.M. Nasar, speaking to ThePrint, said: “This is an indirect attempt to impose Hindi in our state and we will not allow it.”
Stating that the FSSAI’s January directive was immediately replied to with a “no”, Nasar added: “FSSAI had wanted us to add the Hindi word doodh (milk) on our packets last year but this too was rejected.”
The minister further said that over “60 lakh packets of milk and curd” were being sold in the state per day. In the Ambattur dairy, according to reports, Aavin produces around 20,000 litres of milk-fermented products like curd, lassi, buttermilk, etc.
Concerns raised in Karnataka too
In Karnataka, the move faced stiff opposition and allegations of imposition of Hindi in the state, as well as concerns over threat to the local language in general.
M. Raghunandan, director of marketing at Karnataka Milk Federation, which sells products under the brand name Nandini, told ThePrint that the FSSAI had accepted the appeal made by the state not to use the word dahi on its packets of curd.
Kahama has 26.38 lakh milk producers out of more than 15,043 milk producers’ cooperative societies operating at the rural level, according to its website.
“We made an appeal with the FSSAI with regard to that and they have responded and today they have put out a press release accepting our request. We are not bound by that (the directive) now,” Raghunandan said.
In July 2021, Karnataka Congress leader Siddaramaiah had tweeted that MPs from the state were “behaving like slaves” of the prime minister in reaction to a Press Information Bureau release that said only two languages (English and Hindi) would be used for Institute of Banking Personnel Selection exams, “despite the fact that 22 languages were recognised by the Constitution of India”.
The issue gained traction in recent days and the opposition is using it to criticise the Bommai government in the run up to the state assembly polls.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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