BJP imposes Hindi on those staying in South: DMK's Dayanidhi Maran

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], March 2 : Adding fuel to the North versus South controversy, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP Dayanidhi Maran said that while people in North India learn only Hindi, the Bharatiya Janata Party imposes Hindi on those staying in the south by saying that the country is only for Hindi-speakers.
"North Indians study only Hindi, they do not need to study any other language. You (BJP) are imposing on us by saying that India is only for Hindi speakers. We are not against any language. We respect our mother tongue. If we need Hindi to speak, let's learn it," Maran said speaking to ANI on Saturday.
"North Indians study only Hindi and not English. But we study our Tamil and English properly," he added.
The DMK leader said that since people in Tamil Nadu study in Tamil as well as English they prosper in their professional lives, but North Indians come to southern states seeking jobs since they think learning Hindi is enough.
"Today, Sundar Pichai, who speaks Tamil, is the CEO of Google. Similarly, Tamilans are in the best organisation in the world. Because we study properly in Tamil and English, that's why we progress. North Indians think studying only Hindi is enough. So they come to southern states without job opportunities," Maran said.
Lambasting the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) for tying up with the BJP in the assembly elections, Maran accused the AIADMK of selling out Tamil Nadu.
"The central government has ignored Tamil Nadu for the last 10 years. These (AIADMK) slaves sold us and left. They are trying to mislead us (Tamil people) and spread lies in the Parliament," the DMK leader said.
Maran said that Tamil Nadu people revolted in the 2021 Assembly elections and voted the AIADMK out of power.
"In the 2021 elections, the people started a revolution and sent the AIADMK home, which had betrayed Tamil Nadu for ten years. People made DMK leader Stalin the Chief Minister. Tamil Nadu moved forward after Stalin became the Chief Minister," he said.
Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for double-speak on languages, Maran said, "Modi talks about Tiruvalluvar's Thirukkulla every time he comes here. But when he goes to other states, he talks about the pride of that language. They try to impress them by telling lies."
Maran said that even the Bharatiya Janata Party's advertisement on "Modi's guarantee" is in Hindi.
"Anytime you watch TV, you can see an advertisement called "Modi's Guarantee". That ad is not made for us but for Hindi speaking people," he said.