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Chennai: The Southern Railway, headquartered in Chennai, has ignited a fresh political and linguistic debate in Tamil Nadu by launching a special drive to aggressively promote the use of Hindi in its official work. The move has drawn immediate criticism from groups who see it as another attempt at “Hindi imposition” by the Union government.

The directive was issued by Suresh Chandra, Deputy General Manager (Official Language). In a circular sent to the chief officers of all divisions, he instructed them to increase the use of Hindi in dictations, inspection notes, approvals, and even at public-facing counters. Officers have been asked to ensure maximum participation in this special initiative, which is to be reviewed during inspections, with a progress report due by September 19.

Southern railway urges officers to use Hindi

A spokesperson for the Southern Railway sought to downplay the directive, calling it a “routine circular” aimed at promoting Hindi as per existing official language policy. However, the timing and context have made it anything but routine.

The order aligns with the Union government’s broader annual program for 2025-26, which emphasizes expanding the use of Hindi in offices across the country. Yet, it clashes sharply with the long-standing sentiments in Tamil Nadu, where political parties, particularly the ruling DMK and its allies, have consistently accused the BJP-led central government of trying to impose Hindi on non-Hindi speaking states.

The Southern Railway, which employs approximately 90,000 people—a significant number of whom are from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, and Kerala—has been a recent flashpoint for this tension. There have been growing allegations of preferential hiring of people from northern states and complaints that Hindi is being used exclusively in some contexts, instead of Tamil or English, causing difficulties for both local employees and the public.

This new directive, which explicitly calls for Hindi to be used in ticket counters, office documents, internal notices, and orders, is seen by critics as a formalization of this trend. It is perceived as a move that could marginalize non-Hindi speaking employees and create barriers for the Tamil-speaking public who rely on railway services.

The move is expected to face significant resistance from political parties and civil society groups in Tamil Nadu, for whom linguistic pride and the preservation of Tamil culture remain central issues. The directive has set the stage for a renewed confrontation between the state’s anti-Hindi imposition stance and the central government’s language policy.