Never Opposed Hindi: Pawan Kalyan Clarifies After 'Tamil Movie Dubbing' Comment Sparks Controversy

Amidst the controversy surrounding his comments on Tamil films being dubbed in Hindi, Andhra Pradesh's deputy chief minister, Pawan Kalyan, clarified his stance. On Saturday, he stated that he has never opposed the Hindi language. This clarification came after his earlier remarks sparked tensions.

Kalyan took to X to express his disapproval of how the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 was being misinterpreted for political purposes. He dismissed claims that he had altered his position on the policy, attributing such claims to a "lack of mutual understanding."

Linguistic Diversity and Freedom

The Jana Sena Party leader emphasised the importance of linguistic diversity in India. He advocated for multiple languages, including Tamil, and reiterated that his party supports linguistic freedom and educational choice for all Indians. He stated that forcing or opposing any language does not aid national unity.

In light of the ongoing disagreement between the central government and Tamil Nadu over NEP's three-language policy, Kalyan pointed out a contradiction. He noted that while some leaders oppose Hindi, they permit Tamil films to be dubbed in Hindi for financial benefits.

Criticism from Political Figures

Pawan Kalyan's comments drew criticism from various quarters, including DMK and actor-politician Prakash Raj. The DMK accused him of hypocrisy and ignorance about state politics. Prakash Raj argued that the issue is about safeguarding cultural identity rather than opposing another language.

In response to these criticisms, Kalyan clarified that he only opposes making Hindi compulsory for everyone. He highlighted that NEP-2020 does not mandate Hindi learning, and spreading false information about its implementation misleads the public.

NEP's Language Options

The actor-politician elaborated on NEP's provisions, explaining that students can choose any two Indian languages alongside a foreign language. If they prefer not to study Hindi, they have options like Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Sanskrit, Gujarati, Assamese, Kashmiri, Odia, Bengali, Punjabi, Sindhi, Bodo, Dogri, Konkani, Maithili, Meitei, Nepali, Santhali or Urdu.

Kalyan stressed that the multilingual policy aims to offer students more choices while promoting national integration and preserving India's rich linguistic heritage.