Hindi ‘Imposition’ And Delimitation: The Politics Of Language And The Language Of Politics – News18
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Because the tussle between the Centre and states like Tamil Nadu intensifies, will the north-south divide in Indian politics widen much more?
Southern states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka concern that they’ll lose political energy and heft, regardless that they’ve managed to sluggish their inhabitants development. File pic/PTI
It’s the north vs south battle—however this time, it’s about illustration in India’s Parliament, and “imposition” of Hindi!
First issues first: will delimitation of seats within the Lok Sabha change India’s political panorama? Will it’s a win for the north and a loss for the south? And are the southern events taking part in politics by elevating the bogey of Hindi imposition?
To start out off, let’s deep-dive into the problem of delimitation.
Delimitation debate
Image this: for the final half-century, the variety of Lok Sabha seats has remained frozen, at 543. Sure, that’s proper – frozen since 1976. Now, some would possibly say, “Why mess with it?”
The fact is that India’s inhabitants has undergone a dramatic shift.
Northern states, like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh, have seen their populations explode. In the meantime, the southern states, together with Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana, have made unimaginable strides in slowing down their inhabitants development.
However right here’s the catch: in a rustic the place inhabitants development is so important to democracy, the north and south are preventing over how seats in Parliament must be allotted. This can be a delimitation battle like by no means earlier than.
Here’s what the Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin mentioned whereas calling an all-party assembly on the problem on March 5.
‘We, within the south, have finished our half. We’ve managed our inhabitants, centered on healthcare, and household planning. However now, the Centre is seeking to reward states that haven’t been as profitable. This isn’t simply unfair—it’s a betrayal of our efforts. We gained’t let our voice be drowned out!” he mentioned.
These are highly effective phrases. They usually’re not simply coming from MK Stalin.
All the southern bloc is feeling the warmth. Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy has thrown his weight behind Stalin on the problem.
Tamil Nadu’s concern? If the delimitation train is predicated on inhabitants development, its share of Lok Sabha seats general will shrink – regardless of their financial contributions to the nation. Proper now, Tamil Nadu has 39 seats. However Bihar has 40, regardless that Tamil Nadu’s inhabitants development has been slower.
Have a look at these numbers: Uttar Pradesh’s inhabitants has grown by greater than 16 crore since 1971, but its seats haven’t modified. Bihar? 13 crore extra individuals. However within the south, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka have all slowed their development – they’re doing the arduous work of household planning, nevertheless it looks as if that’s going to price them politically.
In all this, it is very important respect the precept of 1 particular person, one vote. If seat distribution is saved unchanged throughout states because it has been during the last 50 years, it would solely worsen the already skewed illustration throughout India’s states.
For instance, an MP in UP caters to just about 3 million residents in comparison with lower than 2 million in southern states. Is it truthful to an individual residing in UP or Bihar to proceed with the identical association that was there 50 years in the past?
Additionally, labour from northern states has a giant position within the financial growth of southern states. The financial development of the south has helped it decrease inhabitants development charges.
However right here’s the large query: ought to states which have been extra accountable with their inhabitants be penalised for his or her success? KT Rama Rao from Telangana doesn’t suppose so. He’s been vocal about this subject, calling for the delimitation to additionally think about a state’s financial contribution—and never simply the inhabitants. In spite of everything, the south contributes an enormous chunk to India’s GDP, but it appears like it’s getting the quick finish of the stick in tax allocations and illustration.
KTR says, “We’re nation-builders, contributing massively to India’s GDP. But, we’re left underrepresented. This isn’t nearly inhabitants numbers—it’s about equity. Southern states shouldn’t be penalised for doing what’s proper for the nation.”
Right here’s the twist—southern states argue that delimitation also needs to account for the way a lot every state contributes fiscally to the nation. Southern states are residence to India’s main financial hubs, like Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Kochi. However guess what? They pay extra taxes than they get again. And within the nationwide debate, they concern their voice will shrink as effectively.
Census slowdown
Now, the Centre is caught in a bind. The delimitation train was meant to occur after the following Census put up 2026—so after the 2031 Census.
However the 2021 Census has been delayed by 5 years. Why? Some say it’s deliberate, so the Centre can rush by means of the method in 2026 and provides a bonus to the north. The argument goes that by delaying the Census, the Centre will get to base the delimitation on present inhabitants figures, which may harm the south.
Amit Shah, the union residence minister, has assured that there will likely be no pro-rata discount for the southern states. He in actual fact has assured that every one states will see a rise of their seats, and the southern states would get their rightful share within the enhance too.
However his statements appear to have solely created extra confusion. Siddaramaiah, the CM of Karnataka, says that this solely provides to the uncertainty for states like Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Kerala.
The Karnataka CM says, “The Centre’s statements are ambiguous. If delimitation goes to be primarily based on the most recent inhabitants numbers, we are going to lose seats. In the event that they follow present seat allocation, it would nonetheless be unfair. We’d like readability.”
The brand new Lok Sabha chamber is ready to accommodate 888 MPs, however the true query is: who will get to fill these seats?
Southern states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka concern that they’ll lose political energy and heft, regardless that they’ve managed to sluggish their inhabitants development.
Southern states really feel that a rise in seats for them can be average, whereas it will be astronomical for northern states—placing the BJP because it has a large base within the north. The Congress too has carried out poorly within the north because the BJP’s rise right here underneath Narendra Modi.
All would rely upon the method that the Delimitation Fee, as soon as arrange, arrives at to find out the bottom common inhabitants. That is the variety of individuals that each MP on common represents, and the thought is that the inhabitants in every constituency be tightly grouped round this common.
This might be tough and the delimitation fee, which can have illustration from all events, has a tricky process and will see political fireworks.
So, what’s the answer? Can the federal government craft a delimitation technique that balances the necessity for truthful illustration with out penalising states for his or her demographic administration?
And extra importantly, can the Centre present statesmanship and at last finish the delayed Census saga, which is linked not simply to delimitation but additionally to girls’s reservation implementation?
Will the north-south divide in Indian politics widen much more? Or will this delimitation train be the second that India lastly will get fairer illustration for all its residents?
One factor is obvious: southern states are usually not backing down, and northern states would need to appropriate what some say is a half-a-century-long anomaly. As this saga unfolds, it’s not nearly inhabitants—it’s about justice and truthful play in India’s democracy.
In plain language
Now, let’s speak concerning the second theatre of the north-south Struggle—Hindi!
The language warfare in Tamil Nadu isn’t nearly phrases—it’s about id, delight, and a fierce 80-year-old resistance. This isn’t some new battle both. For Tamil Nadu, rejecting the imposition of Hindi is deeply rooted within the state’s DNA. Quick ahead to right this moment, and that very same spirit is alive and effectively.
Enter the Nationwide Schooling Coverage (NEP) 2020. Now, this coverage doesn’t flat-out demand Hindi be shoved down Tamil throats—it talks about imparting training within the mom tongue (which, in Tamil Nadu’s case, is clearly Tamil).
However, and right here’s the catch, the NEP additionally recommends a three-language method. In principle, which means Tamil college students may need to choose up Hindi as a 3rd language, although the NEP nowhere says it. Cue the alarms in Tamil Nadu. They see this as the identical outdated story: Hindi imposition in a shiny new bundle.
This isn’t nearly language—it’s politics with a capital P. On one aspect, you’ve obtained the BJP-led central authorities, which views Hindi because the unifier of India. For them, the three-language method is important for a nationwide id.
However in Tamil Nadu, it’s seen as an assault on their tradition. Ok Annamalai, the BJP’s state chief, calls Tamil Nadu’s two-language coverage out of date and desires to interchange it with the NEP. He’s even kicked off a signature marketing campaign to push the coverage by means of. To him, it’s about modernising training and maintaining with the world.
However then, you’ve obtained the DMK-led state authorities, with chief minister MK Stalin on the helm, standing agency in opposition to what they view as a harmful erosion of their cultural autonomy. Stalin warns of a “language warfare” if the NEP’s three-language coverage is pressured upon the state. For them, this isn’t nearly textbooks and lecture rooms—it’s a battle to protect the very material of Tamil id.
After which, simply to make issues extra tense, the central authorities drops a bombshell: no funds for Tamil Nadu’s training system underneath the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyaan except they adjust to the NEP.
Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan calls it an “imaginary combat” from Stalin—accusing him of utilizing the language subject to cowl up his state’s governance challenges. It’s a basic tug-of-war: the state needs extra freedom, and the Centre is utilizing the monetary carrot and follow get its manner.
For a lot of within the BJP, it’s about modernisation and making a extra cohesive India, whereas for Tamil Nadu, it appears like one other battle to protect what makes them distinctive.
What now? Nicely, the combat continues, and either side are digging in. The central authorities needs its NEP applied throughout the board, however Tamil Nadu isn’t backing down. The stage is ready for a fierce language warfare—and it’s one which’s about rather more than simply how we be taught to talk.
