Hindi on Tamil Nadu highway sign board stirs row, 2 engineers suspended
The Tamil Nadu government suspended two engineers after Hindi lettering appeared on a highway sign, sparking a political controversy over the state's language policy. While some argue for the inclusion of Hindi to assist tourists, the state government maintains a strict two-language policy of Tamil and English.
Why it matters
This incident underscores the deep-seated linguistic identity politics in India, where language usage on public infrastructure often serves as a flashpoint for regional versus national cultural tensions.
MADURAI: Hindi lettering on a State Highways Department direction board in Tuticorin district triggered a political row on Friday, prompting the Tamil Nadu govt to remove it and suspend two engineers.The board, installed at Valliammalpuram on the Sathankulam-Nazareth section of SH-93, displayed Tirunelveli, Alwarthirunagari, Thoothukudi and Tiruchendur in Tamil, Hindi and English. The stretch was improved by the department’s National Highways wing under Central Road and Infrastructure Fund.DMK president M K Stalin accused the TVK govt of doing what Tamil Nadu had opposed, and asked whether it was another move that would be reversed after resistance. “The two-language policy is Tamil Nadu’s lifeline. Do not play with it,” he said.Highways minister Aadhav Arjuna said a departmental inquiry found the trilingual board resulted from the “carelessness and negligence” of officials, and maintained that the govt’s Tamil-English policy remained unchanged.
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