Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks that they love the Tamil language and regret not being able to speak Tamil, DMK youth wing leader and Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Monday said the state cares about what they deliver, what the state gets for funds and “not the fake emotions they are trying to project”.
Speaking at a CNN News 18 event at City Hall in Chennai, Mr. Udhayanidhi Stalin said that Mr. Modi and Mr. Shah had portrayed themselves as lovers of the Tamil language. “They only visit Tamil Nadu during elections and express regret that they don’t speak Tamil. I don’t see why anyone should regret not knowing the language. What people really want to know is simple: What have you provided for Tamil Nadu, what are your assurances? That’s what we want to know.”
He further said, “They can speak in Gujarati, their mother tongue, which we really respect. We are only interested in what they are delivering, what we are getting, what our state is getting, not the fake emotions they are trying to show. In the recent Union Budget, not a single major plan was announced for our state, Tamil Nadu. The Union Government is also withholding our due funds, rightly because of Tamil Nadu’s education allocations.”
The Deputy CM alleged that the BJP-led Union government was “trying to create an artificial financial crisis in Tamil Nadu” and claimed that it was because of their frustration at the people of Tamil Nadu being constantly rejected after the elections. “They don’t see what the DMK government led by Perarignar Anna (former CM CN Annadurai), Muthamizh Arignar Kalaignar (former CM M. Karunanidhi), now our Chief Minister, has brought for the welfare of the people and the development of the state.”
Ahead of the 2014 assembly elections, the nation was inundated with propaganda about the “so-called Gujarat Model” and there was “huge hype around it, but the nation later realized that it was just a manufactured illusion,” Udhayanidhi Stalin charged. “But Tamil Nadu understood the bogus claims of the Gujarat Model from day one and has rejected them ever since. Our people can easily tell the difference between real growth and empty promises.”
At the recent AI Summit in Delhi, Mr. Udhayanidhi Stalin said, “We all saw what happened at the AI Summit in New Delhi. For Tamil Nadu, AI is not about stage-managed promotions. Rather, it is a serious commitment to quality education for our youth. We don’t want to go by genuine talent claims. We are building publicity.”
Pointing out that BJP’s allies in Tamil Nadu have faced several ED and IT cases, Udhayanidhi Stalin said, “It is obvious that BJP threatened them with cases. Only DMK was never afraid of BJP’s threats. People of Tamil Nadu understand this reality very clearly. Tamil fascists are smart enough to identify them.”
He further said, “To ensure a bright future for our youth, we have to face the communal forces and protect social harmony. Our Chief Minister is leading India in this fight. We will not be intimidated and we will never surrender. We are ready to make any sacrifice to protect our state Tamil Nadu. No matter how hard BJP tries, they will fail in Tamil Nadu. Under the leadership of Chief Nadu, our leader will once again become a Draef Tamvid model. 2.0 Government”.
Published – 24 Feb 2026 0:05 AM IST
