LIC Clarifies Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin's Hindi Imposition Claim, Cites 'Technical Glitch' For Website Issue

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin recently on a social media post accused Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of using its website to promote Hindi, claiming it was part of an agenda to impose the language on non-Hindi speaking regions.

The statement came after the LIC website displayed text in Hindi, which Stalin claimed was an attempt to undermine regional languages and cultures.

Stalin wrote on X:

"The LIC website has been reduced to a propaganda tool for Hindi imposition. Even the option to select English is displayed in Hindi! This is nothing but cultural and language imposition by force, trampling on India's diversity. LIC grew with the patronage of all Indians. How dare it betray the majority of its contributors? We demand an immediate rollback of this linguistic tyranny. #StopHindiImposition"

The LIC website has been reduced to a propaganda tool for Hindi imposition. Even the option to select English is displayed in Hindi!

This is nothing but cultural and language imposition by force, trampling on India's diversity. LIC grew with the patronage of all Indians. How… pic.twitter.com/BxHzj28aaX

— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) November 19, 2024

LIC Responds: A Clarification on Website Language

The Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) responded to the allegations. The insurer took to social media platform X, formerly Twitter, posting a clarification to address the concerns raised by Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister.

Taking to X, LIC issued a clarification and wrote, "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. -Team"

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.
-Team LIC

— LIC India Forever (@LICIndiaForever) November 19, 2024

The Larger Debate: Language and National Identity

This controversy is part of an ongoing debate in India about the status of Hindi as a national language. In recent years, the imposition of Hindi in official communication, including government websites, has sparked protests in non-Hindi speaking states, particularly Tamil Nadu. The issue often touches on regional pride and concerns over cultural identity.

Netizens Reaction

The tweet quickly garnered attention, sparking a debate on language imposition.

"Just now i opened. Its still in Hindi," commented an X user to LIC's post.

Another user added, "The problem is, even to shuffle the page to your preferred language, one has to know Hindi. The language bar for English itself is in Hindi. This is atrociously bad. You didn't do a trial run or what?"

Screengrab of the comments