Modi demeaning PM post by provoking resentment between Tamils, Biharis, says TNCC chief Selvaperunthagai
In a statement, he said that Modi, during his campaign in Bihar, had made baseless claims suggesting that Tamils were attacking people from Bihar, provoking resentment between the two States
TNCC president K Selvaperunthagai
CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K Selvaperunthagai on Saturday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for playing a double game, saying that he has been making “contradictory” remarks on Tamils and the Tamil language, accusing him of political opportunism and spreading misinformation for electoral gains.
In a statement, he said that Modi, during his campaign in Bihar, had made baseless claims suggesting that Tamils were attacking people from Bihar, provoking resentment between the two States. “Facing strong opposition from Tamil Nadu, the Prime Minister is now attempting to divert attention by twisting history,” Selvaperunthagai said.
He pointed out that while addressing an event in Ahmedabad marking the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Modi praised Tamil as one of the world’s oldest languages and expressed pride in its heritage.
Recalling that the Congress-led UPA government in 2004 granted classical language status to Tamil, he alleged that under the BJP rule, southern languages, including Tamil, have been systematically neglected and discriminated against in central funding. Between 2014 and 2025, only Rs 140 crore had been allocated to Tamil and four other southern languages, while Sanskrit, with about 24,000 speakers, received Rs 2,532 crore, he said.
He described Modi’s recent expressions of affection for Tamil as mere 'political opportunism.' “A Prime Minister who should treat all states equally. Instead, this PM is sowing divisions among people on linguistic, caste and religious lines. Such remarks demean the dignity of his office,” he added.
Selvaperunthagai also accused the Centre of withholding Rs 2,152 crore from Tamil Nadu under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan scheme for rejecting the three-language policy. “Modi has no moral right to speak about Tamils when his government discriminates against the language and denies funds to the State,” he said, adding that Tamil Nadu remained the “epicentre of resistance” to the BJP.