‘Sanskritisation’ Of India In The Garb Of National Education Policy

By Syed Ali Mujtaba, New Age Islam 3 March 2025 The BJP's push for imposing the Hindi language through the National Education policy has evoked a sharp reaction from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K Stalin. “The three-language formula is nothing but an attempt of ‘Sanskritisation’ of India in the garb of National Education Policy,” the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister said launching a strong opposition to the Centre’s ‘Hindi imposition’ through National Education Policy (NEP). (MK Stalin, CM Tamil Nadu) ----- “Hindi is the mask, Sanskrit is the hidden face. We will oppose the imposition of Hindi in Tamil Nadu,” MK Stalin alleged. The DMK president on Thursday, February 27, 2025, charged that the push for a monolithic Hindi identity has “killed many ancient mother tongues.” He claimed that the languages that gave space to Hindi eventually got lost without any trace. In a post on social media Stalin writes; “My dear sisters and brothers from other states, have you ever wondered how many Indian languages Hindi has swallowed?” He answered; “Hindi has swallowed at least 25 regional languages and the native speakers of their mother tongue are gasping for survival because Hindi is bulldozed them over.” “Bhojpuri, Maithili, Awadhi, Braj, Bundeli, Garhwali, Kumaoni, Magahi, Marwari, Malvi, Chhattisgarhi, Santhali, Angika, Ho, Kharia, Khortha, Kurmali, Kurukh, Mundari, and many more,” Stalin lists out the languages ‘swallowed by Hindi.’ Stalin claimed that Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were “never Hindi heartlands” as it is publicized through the media. No one talks about the mother tongue or the “real languages” that are swallowed by Hindi. “Those languages are now relics of the past” Stalin alleged. “Recently, India’s Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar had said the best way to conquer a territory is to overtake its culture, destroy its language. That is the policy of the BJP through the three-language formula of the NEP,” Stalin alleged. Countering the argument that the three-language policy did not mandate Hindi or Sanskrit and any regional language from India could be learned as the third language, Mr. Stalin pointed out, “Look at the said formula in reality, in most of the States Hindi or Sanskrit is given priority. Barring the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where the Tamil language is spoken, this language does not feature anywhere in India.” Giving an example of the language fascism of the BJP, Stalin said, “It came to light that in the BJP-ruled Rajasthan, Urdu teachers were replaced by Sanskrit teachers.” When asked whether the Centre was “sowing the seeds for another language war,” Stalin responded, “Yes, certainly.” ------ Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist based in Chennai. URL: URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-politics/sanskritisation-india-national-education-policy/d/134763 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism