Chennai, Sept 8:
DMK president M K Stalin on Monday described Tamil Nadu’s two-language policy as one of the foundational achievements of the Dravidian movement, reiterating the State’s opposition to the imposition of a three-language formula.
Speaking at the self-respect wedding of DMK functionaries, Stalin invoked the legacy of former Chief Minister and Dravidian leader C N Annadurai, who became Chief Minister in 1967.
Stalin said Annadurai had fulfilled three major commitments for Tamil Nadu after assuming office — implementing the two-language policy, renaming the State as Tamil Nadu and providing legal validation for self-respect marriages.
The DMK president said the two-language policy, with Tamil and English as the principal languages, represented a major part of the State’s linguistic identity and the ideological legacy of the Dravidian movement.
He also recalled the significance of self-respect marriages, which were conducted without conventional religious rituals and were based on principles associated with the Thirukkural. He said legal recognition for such marriages was secured through Annadurai’s legislative efforts.
Stalin used the occasion to reiterate the importance of preserving Tamil linguistic and cultural identity. He urged the newly married couple to give their future children Tamil names and called upon them to live in accordance with the ideals of social responsibility and service.
His remarks come amid the continuing political debate over language policy in Tamil Nadu and the State’s long-standing opposition to any perceived attempt to impose Hindi through a three-language formula.