Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Janasena Party chief Pawan Kalyan sharply criticised Tamil Nadu politicians for their apparent double standards regarding Hindi.
Speaking at the party’s 12th Foundation Day celebration in Pithapuram, Kakinada, Kalyan accused them of hypocrisy for opposing Hindi imposition while profiting from Tamil movies dubbed into Hindi for Bollywood’s lucrative market. "Why do Tamil Nadu politicians resist Hindi yet allow their films to be dubbed in it for financial gain? They want Bollywood’s money but reject Hindi...... what logic is this?" he questioned.
He also expressed his bewilderment at Tamil Nadu's criticism of Sanskrit.
Kalyan’s remarks were a pointed response to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin’s ongoing protests against the National Education Policy (NEP), which Stalin has branded a "saffronised policy" aimed at enforcing Hindi rather than fostering national development.
Stalin claims the NEP’s three-language formula is a threat to Tamil Nadu’s education system, a stance echoed by his son, Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, and DMK ally Kamal Haasan. Kalyan countered this narrative by emphasising on India’s rich linguistic diversity, "India needs multiple languages, including Tamil, not just two. Embracing diversity preserves our nation’s integrity and unity".
The controversy deepened further as Tamil Nadu unveiled its 2025-26 budget logo, replacing the Devanagari rupee symbol (₹) with the Tamil letter ‘Ru’ - derived from ‘Rubaai’ (rupee). Stalin accused the Central Government of pushing "Hindi colonialism".
However, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman condemned it as "regional chauvinism", noting the original rupee symbol was in fact designed by a Tamilian - D. Udaya Kumar. She argued that the DMK is actually discarding a Tamil contribution and undermined India’s global financial identity, especially as UPI gains international traction. Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai also slammed Stalin, calling the decision 'shortsighted' and questioning its rejection of a nationally embraced symbol created by a DMK affiliate’s son.