Referring to observations by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah that they loved the Tamil language and regretted about not being able to speak in Tamil, DMK youth wing leader and Tamil Nadu’s Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Monday said the State cared about what they delivered, what the State received in terms of funds and “not the fake emotions that they try to show.”
Speaking at the CNN News 18 Town Hall Chennai event, Mr. Udhayanidhi Stalin said Mr. Modi and Mr. Shah portrayed themselves as lovers of the Tamil language. “They visit Tamil Nadu only during elections and express regret about not speaking in Tamil. I fail to understand why someone must regret for not knowing a language. What the people truly want to know is simple: What have you delivered for Tamil Nadu, what are your assurances? This is what we want to know.”
He further said: “They may speak in Gujarati, their mother tongue, which we truly respect. We care only about what they deliver, what we get, what our State gets, not the fake emotions that they try to show. In the recent Union Budget, not a single significant scheme was announced for our State, Tamil Nadu. The Union government is also withholding the funds due to us, rightfully due to Tamil Nadu our State, including allocations for education.”
Charging that the BJP-led Union government was “trying to create an artificial financial crisis in Tamil Nadu”, the Deputy CM contended it was due to their frustration over being rejected by the people of Tamil Nadu continuously election after election. “They fail to see what the DMK government, led by Perarignar Anna [former CM C.N. Annadurai], Muthamizh Arignar Kalaignar [former CM M. Karunanidhi], now by our Chief Minister, has delivered for the welfare of the people and the development of the State.”
Ahead of the 2014 Parliamentary elections, the nation was flooded with propaganda about the “so-called Gujarat Model” and there was “enormous hype around it, but the nation later realised, it was just an illusion created,” Mr. Udhayanidhi Stalin charged. “But, Tamil Nadu understood the false claims of the Gujarat Model from Day 1 and had rejected it ever since. Our people can easily tell the difference between real growth and empty promises.”
Taking a swipe 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, Artificial Intelligence is not about stage-managed publicity events. Rather, it is about serious commitment to quality education for our youth. We don’t chase publicity through false claims. We build real talent.”
Pointing out that the BJP’s allies in Tamil Nadu were facing several ED and IT cases, Mr. Udhayanidhi Stalin said: “It is obvious that the BJP has made them fall in line by threatening them with cases. Only the DMK has never been afraid of the BJP’s threats. The people of Tamil Nadu understand this reality very clearly. Tamil people are smart enough to identify fascist forces and keep them at a distance.”
He further said: “To ensure a bright future for our youth, we must counter communal forces and protect social harmony. Our Chief Minister is leading India in this fight. We will not get intimidated and we will never surrender. We are ready to make any sacrifice to safeguard our State Tamil Nadu. However hard the BJP may try, they will not succeed in Tamil Nadu. Our leader will again become the Chief Minister. Tamil Nadu will progress further under the Dravidian Model 2.0 Government”.
Published – February 24, 2026 12:05 am IST
