Language row: P. Chidambaram says TN Governor Ravi 'living in fantasy world'

Chennai, Oct 19 (IANS) Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister P. Chidambaram on Saturday mounted a strong attack on Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi for his comments about the state's language education policy.

Chidambaram, in a post on X, said that Ravi claimed 27 out of 28 states in the country had implemented the three-language policy but the Tamil Nadu Governor was "living in a fantasy world" as there was a discrepancy between his statement and the reality on the ground.

He said that there was a lack of English language education in several Hindi-speaking states and specifically mentioned Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, and Chhattisgarh. He noted that in these states, the three-language formula was not functioning effectively, and upon closer examination, it became evident that only a single-language policy was being implemented.

Chidambaram also noted that in many government schools in these states, English is not taught. Even when English classes are conducted, qualified teachers are often not appointed.

He added that he personally knew several students in these states who were unable to speak or write even a single word in English. He also highlighted that there is an emphasis on teaching languages closely related to Hindi, such as Sanskrit, Punjabi, and Bhojpuri, as second languages. Meanwhile, languages like Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, and Telugu are not adequately covered in 95 per cent of the schools.

On the other hand, the senior Congress leader pointed out that private schools and Central government schools, such as those under the CBSE and the ICSE boards in Tamil Nadu, do teach Hindi. He also mentioned that several students in Tamil Nadu take multiple-level exams conducted by the Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha (DBHPS) every year.

On Friday, the Governor said there was an effort to isolate Tamil Nadu from the rest of India on the basis of language but such an attempt would not succeed. He also alleged that Tamil Nadu was the only state in the country resisting the inclusion of other languages in the three-language formula, while all other 27 states had adopted the policy. He claimed that the narrative against the ‘imposition’ of Hindi was merely an excuse and argued that there was an attempt to segregate, cut off, and isolate Tamil Nadu from the rest of the country.

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