Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urged the PM to have Tamil declared an “official language of the Union on par with Hindi”. Stalin also wanted the ancient language to be recognised as the court language in the High Court.
Stalin’s contention comes at a time when there is a debate raging across the country over Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement that Hindi should replace English as the country’s “link language.” The chief minister pointed out that Tamil is one of the longest-surviving classical languages in the world, and thrives because of its “eternal youthfulness”.
Stalin, in his bilingual speech, made a passionate appeal to Modi, who was on his first visit to Tamil Nadu after the DMK assumed office last year. Stalin asked the Prime Minister to “uphold the true spirit of cooperative federalism” by increasing the Centre’s funds to schemes that can do “justice to the contribution lent by developed states like Tamil Nadu in the country’s development and economy.”
Quoting his father M Karunanidhi, whom he described as the father of modern Tamil Nadu, Stalin asserted: “We will extend a hand of friendship, at the same time, we will raise our voice for our rights.”
In his speech, Modi praised Tamil and said the language was eternal; he further stated that the Tamil culture was global and asserted that his government was committed to further popularising Tamil language and culture.
In his speech, some of the major demands that the Tamil Nadu chief minister put across to Modi were: retrieving Katchatheevu from Sri Lanka, presidential assent to NEET, early disbursal of GST dues, and extending GST compensation period by two years.
Throughout his speech, Stalin used Ondriya Arasu (Union Government) instead of Madhiya Arasu (Central Government)—a move that was met with deafening applause every time the term was used.
The state BJP took objection to the usage of Ondriya Arasu.
Explaining to Modi what his government termed “Dravidian Model”, Stalin said that Tamil Nadu’s development was unique from that of other states as it was not just about economy, but it also included social justice, women’s development, and equality.
“In this Dravidian Model of governance, while taking various welfare and developmental measures, I wish to inform you that we have largely corrected the fiscal imbalance and also re-structured the finances of the state,” Stalin said.
Contending that Tamil Nadu’s contribution was crucial to India’s development and Union Government’s fiscal resources, Stalin said the state’s share in India’s GDP was 9.22 per cent, its share in the overall tax income of the Union Government was 6 per cent, and that the state constituted 8.4 per cent of India’s total export.
“Therefore, the Union Government must increase its contribution to schemes and fund allocation, to do justice to the contribution lent by developed states like Tamil Nadu in the country’s development and economy. Only then will the true spirit of co-operative federalism be upheld,” Stalin said.
Stalin also advocated that it was the “right time” to retrieve Katchatheevu—which was ceded to Sri Lanka in 1974—as the island was a solution to the problems faced by Tamil fishermen. He also insisted that it was the fishermen’s traditional right to go fishing there.