CHENNAI: Framing the forthcoming Assembly election as a renewed Aryan–Dravidian ideological battle, Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin on Sunday said the coming polls would determine whether Tamil language, culture and political autonomy would be protected or subjected to Delhi’s domination.
Addressing a public meeting in Kancheepuram to mark Language Martyrs' Day, Stalin declared that the electoral contest would be another battlefield of the Aryan–Dravidian struggle, aimed at defeating forces that, he alleged, were seeking to erode Tamil identity through political power and policy intervention.
Sharpening his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP-led NDA, the Chief Minister accused the Union government of attempting to impose Hindi and undermine federal principles through the National Education Policy (NEP) and the proposed three-language formula. He alleged that the Centre was using financial pressure to force compliance, pointing to the withholding of Rs 3,548 crore due to Tamil Nadu under education-related schemes.
"Hindi imposition could not be done directly, so it is now being pushed through schools and universities using the NEP," Stalin said, taking a swipe at Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan for “lecturing Tamil Nadu on language”.
Mocking Modi’s double-engine government pitch, Stalin said the model had failed elsewhere and would never succeed in Tamil Nadu. "This 'dabba engine' will not run here," said the DMK president.
He accused the BJP of trying to use the AIADMK to gain a foothold in the State, and added that AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami had faced repeated electoral defeats since 2019.
Referring to Modi's recent visit, Stalin said the Prime Minister avoided questions on pending central funds, delimitation of parliamentary constituencies, major infrastructure projects and disaster relief. "There were no answers, only election rhetoric," he said.
Tamil Nadu has already achieved significant progress in economic growth, education, healthcare and social development, said Stalin, stating that it did not need governance lessons from the Centre.