Chennai, 02 Oct (H.S.): DMK president M K Stalin on Friday accused the TVK-led Tamil Nadu government of undermining the State’s two-language policy and urged it to change its approach, citing highway name boards displaying Hindi lettering.

Referring to clippings of the boards, Stalin said Tamil Nadu had long resisted attempts by the Union government to impose Hindi. He alleged that the State government was now pursuing a similar course, questioning whether this was the change the ruling party had promised.

“Now, the State government itself is imposing Hindi. Is this the change they spoke about?” he asked, directing his criticism at the administration’s handling of the language issue.

Stalin also questioned whether the controversy would become another instance of the TVK government reversing its position after opposition parties raised objections. He accused the administration of repeatedly taking U-turns on various issues following criticism, linking the highway signage dispute to his broader attack on its style of governance.

Describing the administration as a “Reels government”, the DMK leader alleged that it was running the State for North Indian social media influencers. He urged the government to reconsider its attitude and approach, arguing that Tamil Nadu’s language policy should not be treated lightly.

Stalin warned the government against playing with the two-language policy, describing it as the State’s “oxygen”. His remarks placed the language issue at the centre of his criticism of the TVK administration and challenged its stated promise of change.

The DMK president’s objections focused on the presence of Hindi lettering on highway boards and what he alleged was the State government’s role in promoting it. He called on the administration to change course, reiterating that Tamil Nadu’s established language policy must be respected. His remarks did not identify the locations of the highway boards carrying Hindi lettering or specify when they were installed.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman