‘If proud of Tamil, sign in Tamil’: PM Modi jabs DMK amid language row

“If we are proud of Tamil, then I would request everyone to at least sign your name in Tamil,” he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday targeted the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government amid the ongoing language row, urging state leaders to embrace Tamil in their official communication.

Addressing a public meeting in Rameswaram, Modi said the central government is committed to promoting Tamil language and heritage globally. “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 the Tamil language,” he said.

“If we are proud of Tamil, then I would request everyone to at least sign your name in Tamil,” he added.

In a fresh push for regional language education, the Prime Minister also suggested that the Tamil Nadu government introduce medical courses in Tamil. “I would urge the Tamil Nadu government to start medical courses in Tamil so that even the children of poor families can fulfill their dream of becoming doctors,” he said.

“Our effort is to ensure that the youth of our country do not have to go abroad to become doctors. In the last 10 years, Tamil Nadu has got 11 new medical colleges,” he added.

The remarks come amid an escalating standoff between the Union government and the Tamil Nadu state government over the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP). Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has opposed the policy, alleging that it imposes Hindi and undermines the state's linguistic identity. The DMK has long resisted the three-language formula proposed in NEP, viewing it as a potential vehicle for promoting Hindi in non-Hindi-speaking states.