Trichy: Politics has once again heated up in Tamil Nadu over the language controversy. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and his party protested against the railway’s Hindi name board, accusing the central government of imposing Hindi. The BJP and its ally, the AIADMK, also urged the central government to remove the Hindi signboard. Given the linguistic tensions and mounting political pressure, the railways were forced to remove the Hindi word from the entrance.
What’s the Matter?
The Railway Divisional Manager’s (DRM) office is located near the Trichy Junction railway station. A new entrance has been built for this office. The central government named it ‘Dwar’ in Hindi. Accordingly, the entrance was written ‘Dwar’ in Tamil, Hindi, and English. This issue sparked considerable controversy.
Politics Heats Up
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin strongly condemned this. The Chief Minister wrote on his social media platform, “The ‘Duty Gate’ has been written on the entrance of the Trichy Divisional Railway Office. These people who are trying to undermine the self-respect of Tamils should be taught a proper lesson. They should stop trying to impose Hindi on Tamil and English names. Otherwise, I warn that the BJP government will face the wrath of Tamils.”
Madurai MP S. Venkatesan, MP Durai Vaiko, and other leaders condemned the central government, saying, “Inscribing a Hindi name on the entrance without providing a meaningful name in Tamil is a clear example of the central government imposing Hindi. Southern Railway should immediately remove the Hindi name and replace it with a Tamil name.”
Opposition leader Edappadi Palaniswami also said, “Since the central government continues to recognize the Tamil language, such incidents should be avoided. I urge the central government to intervene immediately and name the entrance in Tamil.”
BJP’s clarification
Senior BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan urged, “Due to the mistakes of some officials, the central government is being unnecessarily accused of trying to impose Hindi in Tamil Nadu. Therefore, a Tamil language signboard should be properly installed at the entrance of the Trichy Divisional Railway Office.”
Black ink smeared on the signboard
The inscription “Dwar of Duty” at the entrance of a railway office in Trichy has escalated into a major language controversy. On Wednesday, March 4, DMK workers protested in front of the entrance of the Trichy Railway Divisional Manager’s office. They registered their protest by erasing the Hindi words written on the signboard with black ink. They demanded that the signboard be installed in Tamil so that everyone can understand it.
