Chennai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Monday that Tamil language is now echoing across America as he extolled its rich antiquity at the convocation ceremony of IIT Madras here. It should be stated here that a few days back he had ‘praised’ Tamil as the most ancient language of the world in the United Nations.
The Prime Minister’s praise for Tamil is seen as an attempt to reach out to the people of Tamil Nadu after a row broke out with Home Minister Amit Shah’s pitching for Hindi as a common language. The move was condemned as ‘Hindi imposition’, by parties in Tamil Nadu.
Narendra Modi was on his first visit to Tamil Nadu after his address to the UN General Assembly and his party’s big win in the Lok Sabha elections months ago. He said it was always a delight for him to be back in Tamil Nadu.
“Chennai makkalai santhithil magilchi,” he said in Tamil which meant ‘happy to meet the people of Chennai’.
Later, addressing the 56th convocation of the IIT Madras, Modi said “We are in the state of Tamil Nadu, which has a special distinction. It is home to the oldest language in the world, Tamil.” The Prime Minister’s praise was received with applause from the students and other participants.
Asked about Prime Minister Modi’s back to back praise for Tamil within days, political commentator Sumanth C Raman said, “The Prime Minister might be trying to reach out to the people of Tamil Nadu in the wake of the controversy that surrounded the draft new education policy and Home Minister Amit Shah’s speech on the ‘Hindi Diwas Day’.”
The draft policy was opposed for allegedly advocating a three-language formula and Tamil Nadu parties had said it was ‘thrusting’, Hindi.
DMK chief MK Stalin said that Governor Banwarilal Purohit made it clear that Shah’s views had been misunderstood.
“The governor was categorical that Hindi will not be imposed in Tamil Nadu,” Stalin had said.
PTI
