Pawan Kalyan’s ‘hypocrisy’ dig at Tamil Nadu: ‘Why oppose Hindi but benefit from dubbing movies in it?’

Andhra Pradesh deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan

Andhra Pradesh deputy chief minister and Janasena Party chief Pawan Kalyan on Friday criticised Tamil Nadu politicians, calling them "hypocritical" over their stance on the alleged imposition of Hindi in the state.

He noted that while these leaders are against the usage of Hindi, they authorise Tamil movies to be dubbed in the language for financial gains.

"I do not understand why some criticise Sanskrit. Why do Tamil Nadu politicians oppose Hindi while allowing their movies to be dubbed in Hindi for financial gain? They want money from Bollywood but refuse to accept Hindi--what kind of logic is that?" Kalyan was quoted as saying by ANI.

He was addressing his party’s 12th foundation day at Pithampuram in Kakinada.

Kalyan's comments come in response to Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin’s claims of ‘Hindi imposition’ by the Union government and his decision to reject the National Education Policy (NEP)’s three-language formula as a form of protest.

Kalyan also pointed towards India’s linguistic diversity and said the country needs multiple languages, including Tamil, rather than just two dominant  ones.

“India needs multiple languages, including Tamil, not just two. We must embrace linguistic diversity - not only to maintain the integrity of our nation but also to foster love and unity among its people,” the deputy CM stated.

Kalyan’s comments follow Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin’s March 13 remarks, in which he criticised the NEP as a "saffronized policy" intended to push Hindi over national progress and warned that it could undermine Tamil Nadu’s education system.

"National Education Policy is not education policy, it is saffronise policy. The policy was not created to develop India but to develop Hindi. We are opposing the Policy as that would destroy the Tamil Nadu education system completely," Stalin said.