Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister MK Stalin recently held a key meeting with legal experts at his residence amid growing debates on language and cultural imposition in the state.
Reports suggest that the Tamil Nadu government plans to introduce a bill banning the use of Hindi in hoardings, boards, films, and songs across the state.
According to the ruling DMK party, this move aims to resist the continued imposition of Hindi over regional languages in the southern states.
Senior party leader TKS Elangovan told News 18 that the DMK will act within the law and respect the Constitution, but it firmly stands against Hindi imposition.
Earlier this year, the Tamil Nadu government replaced the Indian rupee symbol ‘₹’ with the Tamil letter ‘ரூ’ in the state budget as part of its local language policy.
In reaction to the criticism, CM Stalin clarified that the DMK was not against Hindi as a language but against its forced promotion. He said that imposing any language on Tamilians attacks their cultural identity and self-respect.
This potential law marks a major moment in the ongoing conflict between the Tamil Nadu government and the Centre, which previously directed states to adopt the three-language formula in schools.
The language controversy began in early 2025 when Tamil Nadu opposed the Centre’s National Education Policy (NEP), introduced by the BJP-led government.
The DMK accused the Centre of using the NEP to push Hindi in Tamil-speaking regions and also alleged that the Centre withheld Rs 2,150 crore in funds after the state refused to implement the policy.
Under the policy, students must learn three languages, two of which should be native to India. Although Hindi is not explicitly mandated, Tamil Nadu argues that the policy indirectly enforces its inclusion.
Both DMK and AIADMK have opposed any Hindi imposition, insisting on preserving Tamil linguistic heritage and identity. They maintain that language freedom must remain with the states and the people.
While some online voices see this move as restrictive, many in Tamil Nadu and across South India support it, viewing it as a step toward cultural protection.
The government has not yet announced when this proposed rule will take effect, but the discussions have already reignited intense social media debates and renewed the language wars.
