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Union Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs L Murugan on Tuesday, December 2, alleged that he was unable to learn Hindi due to the politics around language in Tamil Nadu.
Speaking at the inauguration of Kashi Tamil Sangamam 4.0 in Varanasi, he said, “Owing to politics in our Tamil Nadu, I was unable to learn Hindi. Whatever Hindi I learnt, it was after coming to Delhi. My Hindi is a broken one. Please forgive me if there is any mistake.”
He added that learning Hindi is his right and questioned why the opportunity to study it was denied to him. “Why am I being denied the opportunity to learn Hindi? I will learn Hindi and it is my right. But there are no opportunities there,” he said.
Murugan also referred to the New Education Policy (NEP) introduced under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, led by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, which recommends a three-language policy.
Tamil Nadu has been following a two-language policy of Tamil and English, and has strongly opposed the Union government's NEP, viewing it as an indirect attempt to impose Hindi.
The fourth edition of the Kashi Tamil Sangamam was inaugurated by Dharmendra Pradhan and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday at Namo Ghat in Varanasi.
Murugan inaugurated an exhibition organised by the Central Bureau of Communications, Lucknow, showcasing the philosophies of notable personalities from Kashi and Tamil Nadu. The exhibition will remain open to the public until December 15.
Several dignitaries, including Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi, Puducherry Lieutenant Governor K Kailashnathan and Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, visited the exhibition on its opening day.