Puducherry CM should talk about Hindi imposition in JIPMER, demands former CM

Former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader V Narayanasamy, on Wednesday, May 11, charged the Union government with imposing Hindi in all communications at Jawaharlal Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) in Puducherry. A JIPMER circular said that entries in service books must be in English and Hindi, creating controversy in the Union Terrirtory.

Talking to reporters after participating in a demonstration organised by the opposition Congress at JIPMER to protest the "imposition" of Hindi through a circular by the institute’s management, Narayanasamy said that Chief Minister N Rangasamy was keeping quiet even as the agitation over the issue was gathering momentum now. "Both the Chief Minister, and Lieutenant  Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan were causing havoc to Puducherry without opposing the Union government’s ‘imposition’ of Hindi in the hospital," he said.

Narayanasamy displayed a copy of the order of the institute and said that there was a clear direction that registers, service books of employees and pension books be in Hindi. The former Chief Minister also said that the Congress would not refrain from continuing the agitation and added that the Union government should scrap the circular and ensure that Tamil was the only language in the hospital.

He further said that the Lieutenant Governor should tender an open apology as she had come out with wrong information that there was no ‘imposition’ of Hindi. Narayanasamy said several political parties have already condemned the Hindi imposition, hence the Chief Minister should come out with a strong objection without keeping quiet.

Earlier, slogans were raised by participants in the demonstration and among those who participated in the stir, included the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president AV Subramanian, party legislator M Vaithianathan, former Ministers M Kandasamy and MOHF Shah Jahan, Member of Parliament from Puducherry in Lok Sabha V Vaithilingam and former Deputy Speaker PNR Bhalan.

Secretary of Puducherry unit of the CPI(M) R Rajangam, in a release, said that the Lieutenant  Governor was usurping the role of Chief Minister on various issues which, he said, was against the principles of democracy.

Cadres and delegates of different wings of the Puducherry unit of Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) also held a demonstration at JIPMER, protesting against Hindi imposition. Police were deployed in strength in and around the institute.

Meanwhile, around 40 activists of different Tamil outfits were held near the hospital when they burned copies of orders purportedly issued by the institute to adopt Hindi. The agitators raised slogans against the Union government and the management of the institute. The Puducherry unit of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) announced that the cadres and workers of the party would lay siege to JIPMER on Thursday, May 12, on the same issue.