Citing the imposition of the three-language policy and the hatred towards Dravidianism, politician Ranjana Natchiyaar resigned from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday, February 25. Ranjana, who was with the BJP for eight years, said that the party doesn’t respect Tamil identity.
Ranjana said, “As a Tamilian, I cannot accept and work alongside you when you impose the three language policy, hate Dravidianism, and ignore Tamil Nadu constantly.” She added that she doesn’t want to be stuck within a narrow circle and not serve the people of the country and therefore wished to resign from the BJP.
“I am forever indebted and grateful to those who have given me the opportunity and given me the position, and to those who have encouraged and supported my development and efforts. Thank you so much to all my brothers and sisters who have traveled with me, worked with me and looked after me. From now on my new path of revolution lies in serving people, it is a journey of awakening, in the future it will be victorious,” she wrote.
https://x.com/RanjanaNachiyar/status/1894253497060921687
Ranjana’s resignation has come at a time when protests against the three-language policy - a part of the National Education Policy (NEP) - have intensified in the state. While the Union government has emphasised on the implementation of the NEP that entails teaching three languages in schools, the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government has been following a two-language policy.
The DMK slammed the language policy under NEP as a way of imposing Hindi and has emphasised that learning Hindi will not be of any practical use to the people of Tamil Nadu.
Earlier, on February 22, Chief Minister Stalin had said that the state would reject the three language policy even if the Union government offered financial incentives worth Rs 10,000 crore.
As a show of protest, black paint has been smeared across Hindi sign boards across Tamil Nadu. From ATM bank boards in Chennai to railway stations’ name boards in southern districts of Tamil Nadu have been blackened. In Tirunelveli district, DMK cadres allegedly smeared black paint on the Hindi sign boards at Sankarankovil, Kadayanallur and Pavoorchatram railway stations, reports said.