Amid the ongoing standoff between the union government and Tamil Nadu over the three-language policy, a fresh controversy has emerged after Tamil television channel Star Vijay stalled its programme on the issue. The network had recorded an episode for its flagship debate show Neeya Naana, hosted by television personality Gopinath.
The episode focusing on the contentious three-language policy was filmed on March 3, and its promo was released on March 4. However, the channel has now put it under “review”.
The debate featured DMK’s Salem Dharanidharan, BJP Tenkasi district president Ananthan Ayyasamy, as well as activists, writers and journalists. Participants were informed that the episode would air on Sunday, March 9. However, instead of broadcasting the debate on the three-language policy, Star Vijay telecast a discussion on music – ‘difference of tastes’ – which was recorded later.
Sources from Star Vijay told TNM that after the recording, the Neeya Naana producers received specific instructions from the Star TV Group’s head office in Mumbai to put the debate on hold, citing the ‘sensitive nature’ of the topic.
A source added that the decision came after a heated debate in Parliament over the National Education Policy and the three-language formula, which saw an intense exchange between union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and DMK’s leader of the house, Kanimozhi.
According to sources, the episode is currently under review by the channel’s in-house ‘Standards and Practices’ team, which typically evaluates content before it airs. “Sometimes, episodes covering sensitive topics undergo additional review and remain pending. The discussion on the three-language policy is also under review,” a source said.
Speaking to TNM, DMK spokesperson Salem Dharanidharan questioned the decision to stall the episode. “I am perplexed as to why a matter being discussed in Parliament cannot be debated on a television show,” he said.
He further alleged that BJP members may have influenced the decision to hold the episode back. “I suspect external pressure not to air the show. A BJP representative was present, and he knew how the debate was going. They did not have their arguments in place, and all their points reeked of logical fallacies. I believe this is why they must have pressured Star Vijay not to broadcast the show,” he claimed.
Some participants of the debate also spoke to TNM, revealing that the recording was extended for a couple of hours because those advocating for the three-language policy struggled to present strong arguments.
“Anchor Gopinath had extended the show hoping to get some concrete answers from the supporters of three-language policy, but they could not go beyond their usual defence of asking people to learn Hindi because it will be helpful if you are travelling outside of Tamil Nadu,” a participant said.
BJP’s Ananthan Ayyasamy, who was part of the debate backing the three-language policy, told TNM that he did not participate as a BJP member but as a representative of the people.
Refuting allegations of political pressure to hold back the programme, Ayyasamy insisted that the BJP had no role in the decision. “I contacted the Neeya Naana team, and they said they did not receive any pressure from the BJP or any political party. Since the discussion is ongoing in Parliament, the programme team decided to hold it. It is their independent decision,” he added.
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