State-owned insurance major Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) came under fire on Tuesday for setting Hindi as the default language on its website, sparking widespread criticism, particularly in Tamil Nadu.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin alleged that the LIC website had been reduced to a "propaganda tool for Hindi imposition". "Even the option to select English is displayed in Hindi," he said. "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?"
LIC, however, said its website was not shuffling the language page due to some technical problem. "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 company said in a tweet.
AIADMK's Kovai Sathyan attacked the Centre, saying this was a "deliberate" and "intentional attempt" to impose Hindi. "We have been repeatedly saying, there are deliberate and intentional attempts to impose Hindi. This starts from the central govt-run agencies. Earlier it was post office, railways and now it’s LIC. We strongly condemn this. If they continue further with this, there will be serious consequences."
Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin condemned the move, linking it to broader concerns about central government policies. "The Union Government has not yet understood that anything, including Hindi, cannot be developed by forcefully imposing it. Authoritarianism will not last long,” Stalin said.
AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) called the website design a deliberate attempt at imposing Hindi. "It is condemnable that the central government is trying to impose Hindi in whichever way possible. In India, which is diverse in everything from language, culture, politics, etc., imposing uniformity is an act that affects the balance of the country. It is not acceptable," he stated in a social media post.
The issue also drew criticism from BJP leaders. Narayanan Thirupathy, Vice President of the Tamil Nadu BJP, urged LIC to reconsider its website language settings. “I request @LICIndiaForever to change its website from the present form, which is in Hindi,” Thirupathy wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Kerala Congress also weighed in, questioning the need for the change. “What was wrong with the older website where English was the default language? What do citizens from non-Hindi speaking states do @LICIndiaForever?” the party posted on X.