Want things done your way? Do better than us: DMK Minister's dare to Centre
India Today
Speaking at India Today's Tamil Nadu Roundtable, Tamil Nadu IT Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan clarified that the DMK government is not opposed to Hindi as a language, but to what it calls its imposition through policy.
Tamil Nadu IT and Digital Services Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan on Wednesday mounted a sharp defence of the state’s language policy, daring the Centre to “do better” if it wants Tamil Nadu to reconsider its stand on the three-language formula under the National Education Policy (NEP). He made the remarks while speaking at India Today's Tamil Nadu Roundtable event.
With the Assembly elections approaching and alliance talks intensifying in Tamil Nadu, India Today hosted the high-profile event, which brings together leading politicians, strategists, policymakers and analysts.
When asked about the three-language formula, the Minister clarified that the DMK government is not opposed to Hindi as a language, but to what it calls its imposition through policy.
“We are anti-Hindi imposition, not anti-Hindi. We are anti NEET, and anti anybody trying to tell us what exam we should conduct to filter or select our applicants, who are our children, going to our colleges funded with our money, in a system which is by far the most superior health system than any state in India,” he said.
“We don't like being told that you have to dump yourself down, or you have to adopt a model that is inferior to ours because God says so, or the dictator says so... For us to even contemplate changing our ways, they have to do things better than us. What is it that you have done better than us that we should listen to you?" the DMK leader asked.
#IndiaTodayTNRoundTable | "We are anti-Hindi imposition. We are not anti-Hindi... We are anti-NEET and we are anti anybody trying to tell us what exam we should use to filter or select our applicants..." says Tamil Nadu’s IT & Digital Services Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan pic.twitter.com/OQWVk8k1TR— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) February 11, 2026
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