In this episode of South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran, Pooja Prasanna, and Leena Reghunath are joined by TNM’s executive editor Sudipto Mondal and senior journalist K Venkataramanan to discuss the Union government withholding education funds from Tamil Nadu over the three-language policy and what it signals about its control over states. They also dive into the growing crackdown on media after Vikatan’s website was blocked.
On the three-language policy, Pooja Prasanna says, "If we are for a minute assuming that this is out of some special love for Hindi, I think we are sorely mistaken. Hindi is a cover for Hindutva. Hindutva is a cover for power.”
On Tamil Nadu’s refusal to implement the policy, Venkataramanan says, “If Hindi is entrenched as the third language throughout the country, recruitment could be limited to Hindi-speaking or Hindi-knowing people. These consequences may follow in the long run.”
Sudipto points out the broader cultural push, “CBSE schools have become a smokescreen—not just for Hindi imposition, but for the Hindutva agenda as well. The person who heads the private CBSE school association in Tamil Nadu is a bona fide BJP-RSS member.”
As the conversation shifts to the censorship crackdown and the abrupt blocking of Vikatan’s website, Dhanya says, "This is a huge media organization. Vikatan turns 100 next year. Tomorrow, it could be The Hindu, where KV works. But the protests are so minimal, even for such a large organization. So what happens when the government suddenly shuts down whoever they want to?"
On Vikatan’s cartoon, Venkataramanan adds, "This cartoon is a very familiar form of political satire. I have seen prime ministers and chief ministers being depicted in far worse light than this. This was so obvious that it's surprising they took offense to it.
Leena observes, "Satirical political cartoons do what long-form reporting never can—they prick the propaganda balloon. That’s why governments fear them.”
All this and more—tune in.
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Audio Timecodes
00:00:00 – Introduction
00:01:27 – TNM’s 11th Birthday
00:04:34 – Headlines
00:09:07 – Union Govt vs TN
00:38:23 - Rohith Act
00:44:21 - Vikatan, BeerBiceps & Digital Censorship
01:04:30 – Recommendations
References
CEC selection controversy & Tharoor’s silence on article lauding Kerala | Powertrip #90
The non-Brahmins of Hindutva in Tamil Nadu
Rohith Act: Why an anti-discrimination law is necessary for casteism-free education
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Produced by Bhuvan Malik, edited by Jaseem Ali