Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin accused the BJP-led central government of neglecting Tamil, claiming it “pays mere lip service to Tamil for the sake of votes” while favoring Hindi and Sanskrit. In a letter to DMK workers, part of his series opposing Hindi imposition, Stalin called the ruling party Tamil’s “enemy.”

Citing Union Education Ministry data, Stalin noted that between 2014 and 2023, Rs 2,435 crore was allocated to the Central Sanskrit University and National Sanskrit University, while the Central Institute of Classical Tamil received only Rs 167 crore. “The difference in allocation of funds for Tamil and Sanskrit would make it pretty clear that they are ‘enemies’ of Tamil,” he alleged, pointing to increased spending on Hindi and Sanskrit promotion.

Stalin charged the Centre with “functioning with a feeling of linguistic hegemony” and betraying Tamil Nadu by underfunding both the state and its language. He criticized the BJP for trying to “destroy” Tamil and other regional languages through Hindi and Sanskrit dominance. “All Indian languages including Tamil listed in the 8th schedule of the Constitution are India's national languages,” he asserted, rejecting claims of Hindi as the sole national language.

He also disputed Sanskrit’s primacy, stating, “Claiming that Sanskrit is India's root language is an ‘attempt to consign us to servitude.’” Stalin cited linguist Robert Caldwell’s work 175 years ago, which established the unique traits of Dravidian languages like Tamil, countering notions of Sanskrit origins.

Recalling DMK founder C N Annadurai’s push for equal recognition of all Indian languages, Stalin warned of the historical consequences of linguistic imposition.