Effusive in praising Tamil, Modi stops short of according Official Language Status

“Tamil is eternal and its culture global,” lauded Modi, underlining that Tamil Nadu retains a special place. Though effusive in his praise, as usual, he skirted the issue of making Tamil the language of the High Court and granting equal status to Hindi, a demand placed by Chief Minister MK Stalin. The first official visit of the Prime Minister to the southern state, after the DMK came to power, also laid bare the differences between the Centre and the State on NEET. Writes ETV Bharat's, MC Rajan.

Chennai: Never missing an opportunity to endear himself to the people of Tamil Nadu by eulogizing the ancient language, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was at it again on Thursday. Landing in the city even as the hashtag #GoBackModi# was trending nationally, he termed as “outstanding” the language and culture as well as the people.

Launching a slew of infrastructure and developmental projects, Modi said his government was fully committed to popularising the Tamil language and culture. To buttress this, he drew attention to the new complex for the Central Institute for Classical Tamil in Chennai and the chair on Subramanya Bharati instituted in the Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, his Lok Sabha home constituency. The Prime Minister's remark is significant in the wake of the recent controversy over Hindi imposition.

On the rich Tamil culture, he said “From Chennai to Canada, from Madurai to Malaysia, from Namakkal (from where Union Minister L Murugan hails) to New York, from Salem to South Africa, the occasions of Pongal and Puthandu (New Year) are marked with great fervor.” The 'son of the soil' Murugan walking on the red carpet in traditional Tamil attire – dhoti – at the Cannes film festival, the PM said had made the Tamil people all over the world proud.

However, Modi was silent on the demand made by Chief Minister MK Stalin on the occasion to accord Tamil Official Language status on an equal footing with Hindi besides making it the language of Madras High Court, one of the four chartered HCs in the country. Skirting this, the Prime Minister said the New Education Policy will greatly help Tamil attain greater development.

The turf war between the BJP at the Centre and the DMK in the State over NEET for undergraduate MBBS admission too was out in the open. While Stalin pressed for exemption for the state from NEET by granting early Presidential assent for the Bill passed by the state assembly, Modi was silent on this as well. In Tamil Nadu, there is unanimity among political parties barring the BJP on the issue of NEET exemption. Governor RN Ravi had initially returned the Bill after a long delay but was forced to forward it to the Centre after the assembly had passed it again. On NEET, all that the PM said was that it would help promote all spheres of education

On Sri Lanka, Modi said the island nation is passing through difficult times. “As a close friend and neighbor, India is providing all possible support to Sri Lanka,” he said but made no mention of India taking a proactive role in helping the Tamils secure legitimate rights. He also skirted the long persisting fishermen problem even though Stalin had made it clear that this was the opportune time to retrieve the rights of Indian fishermen and settle the Katchativu issue.

Yet, Modi recalled that he was the first PM to visit Jaffna and drove home the point that New Delhi was engaged in developmental projects in the Tamil areas, which cover healthcare, housing, and culture. But, the question of a settlement to the Tamil issue remains elusive. For Tamil Nadu, these projects are a benefit, but analysts are of the view that the visit might not make much difference to the BJP's fortunes in the state.