Chennai, March 4 Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday criticised the BJP government at the Centre, alleging that it was "overstepping its bounds" in promoting Hindi and condemned the move to name the entrance arch of the Tiruchirappalli railway divisional office in that language.
The entrance arch of the railway divisional office in Tiruchirappalli was recently named 'Kartavya Dwar' (Gate of Duty), sparking a political controversy over the imposition of Hindi in the state.
In response, the chief minister claimed that the Union BJP government was engaging in a "deplorable" imposition of Hindi by writing the Hindi name alongside Tamil and English, under the guise of promoting "one language, three scripts."
"They have written 'Kartavya Dwar' on the entrance arch of the Tiruchirappalli divisional office of the Railways. The attempt to impose Hindi on Tamil and English names should be abandoned, and proper Tamil names should be used immediately," Stalin said on the social media platform 'X.'
He warned that the BJP government would face the consequences if they continued this approach.
The Centre had already renamed Provident Fund Offices (EPFO) as 'Bhavishya Nidhi Bhavan' and was giving Sanskrit names in English for the new criminal laws.
"The name of the Union Water Resources Ministry has become 'Jal Shakti,' and the 100-day employment guarantee scheme named after Mahatma Gandhi has been renamed. The arrogance and disrespect are increasing," he pointed out.
"We need to give a proper lesson to those who are trying to undermine the self-respect of Tamils," Stalin, who is the president of the DMK, said.
As opposition to the use of Hindi script in Tamil grew, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami urged the Central government to intervene immediately and provide a Tamil equivalent name.
"While the names of Central government institutions in Tamil Nadu are mentioned in Tamil, English, and Hindi, the Tamil script on the entrance arch of the Railway Divisional Office, Tiruchirappalli, was used to inscribe the Hindi words without proper translation," Palaniswami said on 'X.'
He said that reports indicated that the railway authorities have agreed to remove the Hindi name, respecting the objections.
"The people of Tamil Nadu are well aware of the Centre's, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, attachment to the Tamil language. While the Central government is continuously giving recognition to the Tamil language, such incidents should be avoided," the former CM said.
Even when visiting countries around the world, the Prime Minister has proudly mentioned the merits of Tamil as the oldest language in the world. The PM recently signed an agreement with the Malaysian government to set up a "Thiruvalluvar Chair" at the University of Malaysia, Palaniswami pointed out.
Meanwhile, a section of DMK members applied black paint on the inaugural plaque containing the words 'Kartavya Dwar' in Tamil and staged a protest demanding that the officials replace the Hindi words.
They later dispersed after the officials assured them that 'Kartavya Dwar' would be replaced with appropriate Tamil words.