'Imposition' of Hindi: BJP TN unit takes up issue with Centre

Chennai, Oct 27: The BJP's state unit today took up with Centre the issue of alleged imposition of Hindi through commercial broadcast in state-run All India Radio (AIR).

Party's state unit president Tamizhisai Sounderrajan took up the matter with Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar in Delhi.

Sounderrajan "requested Javadekar to stop the four hour commercial programme on AIR.

The Minister immediately asked his officials to stop the programmes," a release by the state BJP unit here said.

Last week, NDA constituent PMK had accused the Centre of trying to "impose Hindi" through local radio broadcast and asked the government to give up the proposed initiative.

Party founder S Ramadoss had said that Centre had planned to impose Hindi through local broadcast by regional radio stations in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in the name of commercial broadcast, claiming that its duration in Hindi had been fixed for four hours a day, effective October 26.

Another local outfit, Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam, had also opposed the move. The state run broadcaster had responded to the accusation, saying it was "committed to conserve, enrich and promote regional languages and cultural heritage,which it will continue to do without any misconceived intention of imposing any language in an area where it has not sufficient speakers of a non-mother tongue."

PTI