Tamil Nadu, Centre Clash Again Over Hindi

Language politics in Tamil Nadu has a tinge of anti-Hindi agitation of the 1960s. That historical memory has been stimulated again by a controversy over a national education policy.

The Immediate Trigger

As per the revised curriculum framework of CBSE for 2026-27, the third language will be made compulsory in CBSE Schools from Class 6 onwards with assessments starting from the academic year 2027-28.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has termed the framework as a "calculated attempt of linguistic imposition" and reiterated that the state would stick to its long-standing policy of using Tamil and English languages, declining financial incentives worth ₹3,458 crore attached to the Centre's three-language policy.

The Centre of the Dispute, which is located on the island, is where funds will be deposited.

Stalin has also claimed the Union government has "illegally" denied ₹2,200 crore under Samagra Shiksha scheme just to "force" Tamil Nadu into its compliance and said that the amount was not a "discretionary grant" that the Centre could impose conditions on but constitutionally belongs to the taxpayers of the state.

It is "audacity","" said Stalin, to illegally withhold a humongous sum of Rs 2,200 crore" basically "penalising Tamil Nadu for its refusal to accept the imposition of Hindi".

The Centre's Response

The Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan has denied the characterisation, stating that the National Education Policy "advocates multilingualism" and doesn't require students to study Hindi.

. Pradhan has also alleged the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government is exploiting the "Hindi imposition" angle to divert attention from its alleged failures and also ensure that students are not treated equitably. This allegation is vehemently denied by the Tamil Nadu government.

Voices From the Ground

State officials, academics and parents are getting involved in the controversy. Tamil Nadu School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi reiterated the state's stance on the issue saying, "ideology cannot be forced," while DMK MP Kanimozhi criticized the framework for putting "unnecessary and unfair burden" on students by making them appear before the evaluators.

Academic questions the framework's regional representation head-on, in a widely shared social media post: "Where is the diversity in this approach? Where, then, are the South Indian languages in any significant terms? Parents, also, expressed concern not about ideology but about workload: One parent of a middle-schooler said she was concerned "children are already under enough pressure: an additional compulsory layer, without clarity about the outcomes, is an additional layer of stress.