Tamil Nadu government has requested the Centre to declare Tamil as one of the official languages of the country, Union Home Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanad Rai informed Lok Sabha on Tuesday. He said the state government has also requested to declare Thirukkural as a national book.
Rai’s statement came in response to a question raised by Indhiya Jananayaga Katchi MP Dr T.R. Paarivendhar as to whether the Tamil Nadu government had raised the issues during the recently concluded Southern Council Meeting in Tirupati.
"The Government of Tamil Nadu has made a request to declare Tamil as one of the official languages of India and Thirukkural as a national book in the 29th Meeting of the Southern Zonal Council which was held at Tirupati on 14th November 2021. However, no discussion on this issue took place during the meeting," Rai said in a written reply.
As per the Constitution, Hindi and English are the official languages of the country, which are to be used for “official purposes” by the government, such as Parliamentary interactions.
The Constitution also provides that each state may adopt its own official language:
“Subject to the provisions of Articles 346 and 347, the Legislature of a State may by law adopt any one or more of the languages in use in the State or Hindi as the language or languages to be used for all or any of the official purposes of that State,” it says.
