‘Look at Their Hypocrisy’: Nirmala Sitharaman takes a strong stand against DMK’s contradictory position on language row

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, on March 11, took a strong stance against the DMK over the language controversy, accusing them of hypocrisy. She criticised the party for idolising a figure who had once described Tamil as a “barbaric” language, one so inadequate it couldn’t even help beggars get alms. In an impassioned address in the Lok Sabha, Sitharaman pointed out that the DMK continues to revere a person who had spoken so disparagingly of the Tamil language.

For just saying your protest are uncivil, they (DMK) made Education Minister Shri @dpradhanbjp withdraw his statement.

But a man who repeatedly says Tamil is a barbaric language, they keep his photograph in every room, they garland him and worship him and say he is the icon of… pic.twitter.com/XSdoWL5KSU

— Nirmala Sitharaman Office (@nsitharamanoffc) March 11, 2025

“I won’t name him, but anyone with even a basic understanding of Tamil will immediately recognise who I am referring to when they hear these quotes,” she said. “Yet, despite his offensive remarks about Tamil, the DMK continues to honour him, displaying his photo and hailing him as their Dravidian icon,” she added, quoting the “elderly person” from various Tamil publications.

"Periyar who repeatedly said Tamil is a barbaric language is worshipped by Stalin gang. They consider him an icon of Dravidian movement"

FM brutally destroyed the Stalin gang 😹pic.twitter.com/OcnOlUHJtu

— Mr Sinha (@MrSinha_) March 11, 2025

Although BJP leader Nirmala Sitharaman did not directly name the “elderly person,” she was evidently referring to Periyar, the prominent leader of the Dravidian movement.

Sitharaman also expressed regret that the DMK MPs had failed to condemn a caricature that depicted Prime Minister Narendra Modi in chains before US President Donald Trump. She emphasised that action would be taken against those responsible for the controversial cartoon, which has since been withdrawn and was published in the online edition of Vikatan Plus.

Sitharaman said, “…when a cartoon is made about the honourable Prime Minister, do you expect us to simply watch? Certainly, action will be taken, and I’m glad that the Vikatan cartoon was removed. You should have sympathy for that.” She also remarked that if anyone speaks against the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, they are “arrested at midnight.”

Continuing her criticism of the DMK, Sitharaman accused the ruling party in Tamil Nadu of having double standards when it comes to the Tamil language. She pointed out that the DMK forced Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to retract his statement just for saying, “your protests are uncivil.”

“But a man who repeatedly called Tamil a barbaric language, they keep his photograph in every room, garland him, worship him, and claim he is the icon of the Dravidian movement. Look at their hypocrisy,” Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman remarked.

Pradhan’s comments in the Lok Sabha on March 10, in which he criticised the Tamil Nadu government for refusing to implement the National Education Policy (NEP) and making a “U-turn” on the issue for “political” reasons, sparked angry protests from the DMK, disrupting proceedings in the House.

“They are dishonest and are ruining the future of the students of Tamil Nadu… they are misleading the people,” Pradhan said while responding to a query about the Centre not releasing funds for the PM Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme.

In response, the DMK stated that it had clearly informed the minister that it could “not accept” the NEP “in full,” and that the three-language formula “is not acceptable to Tamil Nadu.” The party also argued that the Centre cannot withhold the release of the education budget over the issue of implementing the NEP.