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Amid NEP row, Amit Shah accused MK Stalin of exploiting language issues to mask corruption allegations.
New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has accused Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and his party of exploiting the language issue for political gain and to divert attention from corruption allegations. Shah claimed that the Tamil Nadu government lacks the courage to provide medical and engineering education in Tamil, fearing it would affect their economic interests.
During a debate on the working of the Ministry of Home Affairs in Rajya Sabha, Shah stated that some parties are using the language issue to hide their corruption. He emphasized that Hindi is not a rival to regional languages but rather a "friend" to all Indian languages.
"Some parties are raking up the language issue for their own politics. They are doing it just to hide their corruption," Shah said.
Shah also addressed the prolonged tussle between the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government and the Centre over the National Education Policy (NEP) and its three-language formula. He asserted that every Indian language is valuable and that there should be no further divisions in the nation due to language issues.
To demonstrate the Centre's commitment to linguistic diversity, Shah announced that he will conduct all official correspondence with chief ministers, MPs, and citizens in their respective languages from December onwards.
"The Modi government has established a new department of Indian Languages under the 'Raajbhasha Vibhaag' to promote all Indian languages, including Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi, and Assamese. There will even be apps for translation," he said.
Shah took a dig at the MK Stalin government, saying it lacks the courage to introduce medical and engineering courses in Tamil. He vowed that once the NDA government comes to power in Tamil Nadu, it will ensure these courses are made available in Tamil.
Shah also dismissed accusations that the BJP is against southern languages, pointing out that he himself hails from Gujarat while Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is from Tamil Nadu. He warned the Tamil Nadu ruling party not to use language to hide their corruption, stating that the truth will be revealed to the people.
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