'Political hate comedy at its darkest': Stalin slams Yogi over language row jibe
TN CM asks UP counterpart to spare him lecture on hate; says TN is not opposing a language but is against imposition and chauvinism
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday (March 27) launched a stinging attack on his Uttar Pradesh counterpart, Yogi Adityanath, after the latter accused his government of using language divide as an issue to bolster his vote bank.
The DMK-led Tamil Nadu government has been opposing the three-language policy under the Centre’s National Education Policy-2020, calling it a ploy to impose Hindi language on the non-Hindi speaking population of the state.
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‘Spare us from lecture on hate’
Calling it a “political black comedy at its darkest,” Stalin in a post on X, said Yogi’s response to Tamil Nadu’s firm stand in favour of a two-language policy only shows that the BJP is rattled.
“Tamil Nadu’s fair and firm voice on #TwoLanguagePolicy and #FairDelimitation is echoing nationwide—and the BJP is clearly rattled. Just watch their leaders’ interviews. And now Hon’ble Yogi Adityanath wants to lecture us on hate? Spare us. This isn’t irony—it’s political black comedy at its darkest,” Stalin’s post said.
The Tamil Nadu chief minister also sought to clarify that the state is not against any particular language, but opposes the chauvinism with which it is imposed.
“We don’t oppose any language; we oppose imposition and chauvinism. This isn’t riot-for-votes politics. This is a battle for dignity and justice,” Stalin said.
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Yogi’s remarks on ‘Hindi-imposition’ row
Taking a dig at Tamil Nadu’s pushback against the Centre’s three-language policy, Adityanath in an interview, released on Wednesday (March 26), had accused Stalin of using “narrow politics” and dividing people on the basis of language to keep his vote bank intact.
Asserting that language doesn’t divide but connects people Yogi wondered what fuelled the “hate” for Hindi.
“The country should not be divided in the name of the language or region. We are grateful to Prime Minister Modi, who organised the Kashi-Tamil Sangamam in Varanasi. In every Indian’s mind, there is a feeling of respect for Tamil, and its history is as old as Sanskrit. When these people’s vote banks shift, they try to divide on the basis of territory and language. The people of the country should always be aware of this,” he had said.
‘Stalin a con artist’, says Annamalai
Stalin’s remarks against Yogi elicited a quick response from the BJP with state president K Annamalai calling him a “con artist masquerading as a protector of our constitution and federal structure”.
“Thiru @mkstalin, you are a con artist masquerading as a protector of our constitution & our federal structure. Usually, con artists scam the rich, but DMK shows no disparity; they scam both the rich and the poor,” Annamalai said, responding to Stalin’s X post.
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The BJP leader alleged that it is public knowledge that Stalin’s family runs private schools that teach three languages, yet the chief minister opposes the same for the state government schools.
“TN CM thinks that the orchestrated drama by his partymen in pockets here and there reflects the voice of entire TN. It is also unfortunate that you haven't realised that your attempts to divert people’s attention to insignificant matters have been exposed. Live in your blissful world of ignorance, Thiru @mkstalin. We will not disturb you,” the post said.