Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin sharply criticized the central government’s language policy, highlighting a recent report revealing a stark disparity in funding allocation. M.K. Stalin alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) true intention is to promote Sanskrit, while Hindi acts merely as a mask to conceal this agenda. The controversy comes amid rising tensions over language imposition in Tamil Nadu, where the state government opposes the three-language formula mandated by the central government.
Unequal Funding for Sanskrit and Classical Indian Languages
A detailed report by Hindustan Times, based on Right to Information (RTI) data and official public records, revealed that between 2014-15 and 2024-25, the Union government spent approximately ₹2,532.59 crore on Sanskrit promotion. This amount dwarfs the combined spending of ₹147.56 crore allocated for the other five classical Indian languages—Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Odia. On average, Sanskrit receives around ₹230.24 crore annually, while the combined yearly average for the other five languages is only ₹13.41 crore.
Among the classical languages, Tamil receives the highest funding after Sanskrit but still less than 5% of what Sanskrit gets. Kannada and Telugu each receive under 0.5%, with Odia and Malayalam even lower, each accounting for less than 0.2% of Sanskrit’s allocation. Tamil, the first language to gain classical status in 2004, received ₹113.48 crore during this period, which is 22 times less than what was spent on Sanskrit after it attained classical status in 2005. The rest of the languages, gaining classical status between 2008 and 2014, collectively received ₹34.08 crore.
Political and Cultural Implications in Tamil Nadu
M.K. Stalin’s comments, made while drawing attention to the report, underline the political and cultural tensions surrounding language policies in India. The Tamil Nadu government has long opposed the National Education Policy’s three-language formula, which includes Hindi as a compulsory language alongside English and the regional language. Instead, Tamil Nadu prefers to maintain its two-language policy of Tamil and English, a system that has been in place since 1968.
The DMK, led by M.K. Stalin, perceives the central government’s push for the three-language formula as an effort to impose Hindi in the state. M.K. Stalin’s pointed remark that “Hindi is the mask, Sanskrit is the hidden face” captures this sentiment, suggesting that the BJP’s agenda goes beyond promoting Hindi to revitalizing Sanskrit as a means of cultural assertion.
This language issue has become a flashpoint between the DMK and the BJP, especially ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly elections, with the BJP’s policies seen as threatening to the state’s linguistic identity. The DMK’s resistance reflects broader concerns over linguistic federalism and cultural autonomy in India’s diverse society.
