The Congress and its allies have repeatedly accused the BJP of imposing Hindi on non-Hindi-speaking states, particularly Tamil Nadu. However, a recent mock Parliament session organised by the INDI bloc, led by Rahul Gandhi, has raised an uncomfortable question: where does the opposition’s opposition to Hindi imposition disappear when it comes to its own political events?
At the mock Parliament session held on Saturday as part of the INDI bloc’s protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, MDMK leader and Tiruchirappalli MP Durai Vaiko delivered the concluding portion of his speech in Hindi.
What makes the episode particularly interesting is that Durai Vaiko himself admitted that he did not know Hindi.
Speaking initially in English, Durai Vaiko claimed to represent 13 crore citizens who had allegedly lost their voting rights. He accused the BJP of weakening democracy and called for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
He also described the alleged deletion of voters from electoral rolls as a threat to citizens’ constitutional rights, including their rights to practise their religion, preserve their culture, access education and secure employment.
He further accused the BJP of election ‘match-fixing’, claiming that the ruling party had a referee of its own in the Election Commission. He called Gyanesh Kumar a Chief Election Commissioner who knew the “magic of making voters disappear into thin air”.
Durai Vaiko’s Hindi Speech Raises Questions
However, it was the concluding portion of his speech that attracted attention on social media.
Switching to Hindi, Durai Vaiko said, “I do not know Hindi. But this country must know what my state, Tamil Nadu, wants to say. That is why I want to say a few things in Hinglish. Most of us Tamils do not know how to speak Hindi. But Tamil Nadu is raising its voice loudly.”
😰No one’s speaking about that Hindi imposition in the Mock Parliament session that was led by the Congress and Rahul Gandhi?
They even made Durai Vaiko speak in Hindi 😅🙉 https://t.co/BGP6VfcSXp
— Saikiran Kannan | 赛基兰坎南 (@saikirankannan) November 2, 2026
He then delivered his concluding slogans in Hindi, demanding an end to alleged vote theft and calling for Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
He also raised slogans in support of the Constitution, democracy, secularism and social justice.
Videos of his Hindi speech have since been widely shared on social media, with several users pointing out the irony of a Tamil Nadu politician delivering a speech in Hindi at an opposition-led political event.
Where Has The Opposition To Hindi Imposition Gone?
The episode raises questions about the INDI bloc’s own language politics.
The DMK and its allies have consistently accused the BJP and the Union government of imposing Hindi on Tamil Nadu. The party has repeatedly made opposition to Hindi imposition a central part of its political messaging.
MDMK leader Vaiko, Durai Vaiko’s father, has also been a vocal critic of Hindi imposition. He has consistently spoken in Tamil and English in Parliament.
In fact, Vaiko had previously criticised Hindi speeches in Parliament, arguing that they lowered the standards of parliamentary proceedings.
Against this backdrop, Durai Vaiko’s decision to deliver his concluding remarks in Hindi at a mock Parliament organised by the INDI bloc has invited criticism.
The larger question is this: if speaking Hindi is considered an imposition when the BJP or the Union government does it, why is there no similar objection when Hindi becomes the language of communication at an opposition-led event?
The Congress and Rahul Gandhi have repeatedly joined the DMK in raising the bogey of Hindi imposition. Yet, the language appears to have been perfectly acceptable at their own mock Parliament.
And nobody seems to be asking whether this, too, amounts to Hindi imposition.
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