 In 2014, the Home Ministry ordered that “ government employees and officials of all ministries, departments, corporations or banks, who have made official accounts on social networking sites should use Hindi, or both Hindi and English but give priority to Hindi ”. This move was immediately opposed by all the political parties in Tamil Nadu. Terming the move on use of Hindi as being "against letter and spirit" of the Official Languages Act the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa cautioned that this direction may “ cause disquiet to the people of Tamil Nadu who are very proud of and passionate about their linguistic heritage. ” and asked the Prime Minister of India to suitably modify the instructions to ensure that English was the language of communication on social media. The major opposition party Indian National Congress advised prudence, expressing fear that such directions may result in a backlash in non-Hindi states, especially Tamil Nadu and also said that the “ Government would be well-advised to proceed with caution, ”. These protests ensured the continuous official usage of English.
