New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday took a jibe at Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin in the tussle of the ongoing language debate in the country. He pointed out that leaders from Tamil Nadu never sign their letters in the Tamil language.
Following his three-day visit to Sri Lanka, Modi was present in Tamil Nadu on Sunday to inaugurate the newly-built Pamban bridge in Rameswaram. While addressing a rally after flagging off the Rameswaran-Tambaran (Chennai) train, Modi said that his government in centre was putting efforts to make Tamil language reach every corner of the world. At the same time, he lashed out at the Tamil Nadu ministers for not signing letters in Tamil.
“The government is constantly working to ensure that the Tamil language and Tamil heritage reach every corner of the world. Sometimes, I am surprised when I receive letters from some leaders of Tamil Nadu — none of them are signed in Tamil. If we are proud of Tamil, then I would request everyone to at least sign their name in Tamil,” Modi said in Rameswaram.
Furthermore, the PM asked the Tamil Nadu government to start medical education in Tamil language to allow students from poor families to learn and benefit from the respected field.
“I would urge the Tamil Nadu government to start medical courses in the Tamil language so that even the children of poor families can fulfil their dream of becoming doctors,” Modi added.
Modi’s recent remarks come after constant opposition from the state on the centre’s three-language act under the National Education Policy (NEP). The MK Stalin-led government has accused the union government of making attempts to impose Hindi in the state and accordingly putting their language under threat.
On the same day of Modi’s visit to the southern state, Stalin asked Modi to allay the fears of Tamil Nadu over delimitation, another controversy on which the southern states have been at the loggerheads with the centre.
