Chennai: DMK chief M.K. Stalin who is among the many prominent Tamil politicians stoutly opposing the 'imposition' of Hindi has demanded that the Centre should make Tamil a compulsory language in all Central government offices in Tamil Nadu.
He made the call to make Tamil compulsory after paying respects at the memorial of IUML leader Quaid-E-Millat on the latter's 124th birth anniversary here on Wednesday. Paying rich tributes to the leader, Stalin said Quaid-E-Millat was the first leader to pronounce (in the Constituent Assembly, which framed the Indian Constitution) to make Tamil an official language in the country because of its rich history and literature.
"We will continue to strongly support the cause of making Tamil a compulsory language in Central government offices," Stalin told reporters and recalled that the BJP-led government at the Centre had proposed 'impose' Hindi in all non-Hindi speaking State under the three-language formula and later rescinded its decision following protests from Tamil Nadu.
"We should take a vow on this day to make Tamil an official language in Central government offices," the DMK leader said.
After the draft of the New Education Policy (NEP) released by the ministry of human resource development (HRD) on May 31 suggested Hindi be made a mandatory third language in non-Hindi speaking states, the DMK on Tuesday proposed that the two-language formula devised by Dravidian icon C. N. Annadurai should be implemented across the country.
Muhammad Ismail, born on June 5, 1896, who was a member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, and a member of the Indian Parliament - both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, was popularly known as Quaid-E-Millat (Leader of the Nation). When India was partitioned and Pakistan was born, the Muslim League split and the Indian members of the League who did not migrate to Pakistan, formed the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML). Ismail became its first president. He was the first MP to request that part of his emolument as MP be retained for National Defence Fund.
