Tamil Nadu’s Hindi row: Pawan Kalyan clarifies stand, says ‘never opposed the language, only its imposition’

Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Janasena Party chief Pawan Kalyan addressed the controversy over the alleged imposition of Hindi, defending his stance and backing the BJP amid criticism of his evolving position.

Kalyan found himself at the center of the political storm after he defended the three-language mandate under the National Education Policy (NEP), which Tamil Nadu leaders have opposed as an attempt to impose Hindi on the state.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Kalyan dismissed the claims, stating: “Either imposing a language forcibly or opposing a language blindly; both doesn’t help to achieve the objective of national & cultural integration of our Bharat. I had never opposed Hindi as a language. I only opposed making it compulsory. When the NEP 2020 itself does not enforce Hindi, spreading false narratives about its imposition is nothing but an attempt to mislead the public.”

He further clarified that NEP 2020 allows students to choose any two Indian languages, including their mother tongue, along with a foreign language. “If they do not wish to study Hindi, they can also opt for Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Sanskrit, Gujarati, Assamese, Kashmiri, Odia, Bengali, Punjabi, Sindhi, Bodo, Dogri, Konkani, Maithili, Meitei, Nepali, Santali, Urdu, or any other Indian language,” he added.

Taking on critics, Kalyan reiterated that he never opposed Hindi itself but only resisted making it compulsory. He accused opponents of misinterpreting the NEP for political reasons. “The multi-language policy is designed to empower students with choice, promote national unity, and preserve India's rich linguistic diversity. Misinterpreting this policy for political agendas and claiming that @PawanKalyan changed his stance only reflects a lack of understanding. @JanaSenaParty firmly stands by the principle of linguistic freedom and educational choice for every Indian,” he wrote.

Kalyan’s remarks come amid Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin’s ongoing opposition to the three-language formula under NEP, which the state refuses to implement, citing concerns over Hindi imposition.