'At least sign letters in Tamil': Modi's jibe at TN politicians, asks state to impart medical education in mother tongue

Without naming anyone, Modi said he gets letters from leaders of Tamil Nadu and 'they do not sign in Tamil'.

Chennai: Amid a tug-of-war on the language issue, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged the Tamil Nadu government to launch medical courses in the mother tongue to benefit poor students and mocked politicians from the state for even signing their letters in English, not in Tamil.

Modi, in his speech after inaugurating the country’s first vertical lift bridge in Pamban across the Palk Strait and laying foundation stone for various road projects, however, skirted contentious issues like Delimitation and Katchatheevu island, which have been in the news in the state for the past few weeks.

Chief Minister M K Stalin, while inaugurating a medical college in The Nilgiris, had expressed the hope that Modi will give an assurance that the Delimitation process due in 2026 will be conducted in a fair and transparent manner. Stalin had chaired the first meeting of the Joint Action Committee of Chief Ministers in Chennai on March 22 during which they demanded a freeze on the number of Lok Sabha seats at 543 for another 25 years beyond 2026.

Choosing Ram Navami for inaugurating the bridge that allows resumption of train services between Rameswaram and the mainland, Modi also offered prayers at the Sri Ramanathaswamy Temple in Rameswaram. Modi also said he was “blessed” to have a “darshan” of Ram Setu on his way from Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka to Mandapam in an Indian Air Force helicopter.

Touching on the arrest of fishermen from Tamil Nadu, especially Rameswaram and adjoining areas by the Sri Lankan Navy, Modi said the security of fisherfolk remains a top priority for his government. As Modi completed his visit, the Sri Lankan government released 11 Indian fishermen as a goodwill gesture.

“Through the dedicated efforts of the Indian government, over 3,700 fishermen have been successfully repatriated from Sri Lanka over the past decade. Notably, more than 600 fishermen were freed just in the last year alone. Some of our fishermen even faced capital punishment. However, we took decisive steps to ensure their safe return to the country,” he said.

In a veiled attack on the DMK’s insistence on a two-language formula, the Prime Minister said he receives a lot of letters from politicians in Tamil Nadu written to him in English. “Even they sign in English. I don’t see anyone signing in Tamil. Can’t you at least affix your signature in Tamil?” Modi asked, amid a major debate in the state on the Centre pushing for a three-language formula as part of the National Education Policy 2020.

Citing instances of several states launching medical courses in their mother tongues, Modi urged the DMK dispensation to take steps to begin courses in Tamil. The Prime Minister also took an indirect dig at the ruling DMK saying some people have the “habit of crying” despite the Centre raining funds on Tamil Nadu for several infrastructure projects.

He said the BJP government in the last 11 years had given three times more money for the development of Tamil Nadu than between 2004 and 2014 when the ruling DMK was an integral part of the UPA-I and UPA-II regimes.

The 2.07-kilometre-long marvel spanning the Palk Strait in Tamil Nadu, which blends heritage with innovation, can be lifted vertically to allow larger ships to pass underneath and is 3 meters higher than the existing one, improving sea connectivity.