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State-run insurer Life Insurance Corporation or LIC Tuesday blamed "technical problem" as Tamil Nadu protested the website's switch to Hindi in the state, terming it a "linguistic tyranny" and pushed for its immediate rollback.
"Our corporate website was not shuffling the language page due to some technical problem. The issue is resolved now, and the website is available in English/Hindi language. Inconvenience caused is deeply regretted," the LIC said reacting to the row.
Soon after the news of the switch spread, MK Stalin termed LIC a "propaganda tool for Hindi imposition".
"The LIC website has been reduced to a propaganda tool for Hindi imposition. Even the option to select English is displayed in Hindi," complained Mr Stalin on X.
"We demand an immediate rollback of this linguistic tyranny," he said.
Be it central government or LIC, they should realise that they belong to all people and not only to Hindi speaking people, said Dr S Ramadoss, founder of Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK).
"A sudden preference for Hindi alone is not acceptable when all the language speaking people in India are customers of LIC. Even consumer goods worth Rs.10 are sent to Tamil Nadu for sale, the name of which is printed in either Tamil or English. But LIC, which has a huge customer base in Tamil Nadu, has only the main page of its website in Hindi and has created an environment where they have to search and choose English language services, which is an insult to Tamil Nadu customers," said Dr Ramadoss, adding that the "home page of LIC website should be changed to English immediately".
Most recently, in October, Chief Minister MK Stalin had posed a series of questions to Governor RN Ravi regarding a missing line from Tamil Nadu's state anthem during its rendition in an event where the Governor was the chief guest. Mr Stalin criticised the Governor for "vilifying the Dravidian race" and trying to "impose Hindi everywhere".
Tamil Nadu has a long history of anti-Hindi agitation dating back to the 1930s. The massive protests against Hindi imposition in the 1960s had catapulted Mr Stalin's party, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), to power. The then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had assured continuing English as a link language as long as non-Hindi-speaking states accept Hindi.
The state has also been vehemently opposing the three-language formula as part of the new education policy, which states like Tamil Nadu suspect would push students to learn Hindi as a third language.
Tamil Nadu BJP Vice President Narayanan Thirupathy too batted for English as the default language.
"I request @LICIndiaForever to change its website from present form which is in Hindi. Those who can't read Hindi are unable to convert it in to English. Hence the cover may have English and those who want to use Hindi may opt for it," Mr Thirupathy posted on X.
Last year in March, a directive from India's food safety authority to rename curd packets as "Dahi" in Hindi was changed after it sparked a backlash from Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister and milk producers, who saw it as an attempt to impose Hindi on non-Hindi speaking states.