Tamil films can be dubbed into Hindi, but they oppose the language: Pawan Kalyan

CHENNAI: As the fight over the language policy continues, Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and actor Pawan Kalyan criticised Tamil Nadu. The war of words intensified when DMK also came out with a reply to Pawan. Pawan Kalyan accused the DMK of playing a double standard by talking about the language policy. It is showing hypocrisy. Tamil Nadu has no problem dubbing Tamil films to Hindi to gain an audience and make financial gains. They want money from Bollywood but cannot accept Hindi. What is the logic of that? The country needs not two dominant languages, but multiple languages, including Tamil. Linguistic diversity should be accepted not only to maintain the integrity of the country but also to foster love and unity among the people, Pawan said.

Meanwhile, the DMK has hit back, saying that this is a false perception of Tamil Nadu's stance on language politics. It is not against learning Hindi or any other language. It is against imposing Hindi, said DMK spokesperson Dr. Syed Hafeezullah. The government is conducting Hindi Prachar Sabha for those interested in learning Hindi. If people want to learn Hindi, they can do so. The problem arises when the central government makes Hindi a compulsory language, Hafeezullah said. Language policy should not be equated with business decisions like dubbing films. The bilingual policy that Tamil Nadu has always followed was passed in the assembly based on the suggestions of experts in the field of education. Not because of the wishes of actors. Pawan Kalyan would not have even been born when the bill was passed. He does not know anything about Tamil Nadu politics. Hindi is being opposed not for the first time. We also believe that people can be trained better only through learning in their mother tongue, he said.