Annamalai interview: ‘Stalin a hypocrite, allows three-language formula to flourish in Tamil Nadu’s private schools’

The DMK says delimitation will harm the South. A Raja has asked whether Union Home Minister Amit Shah meant the proportion of seats or population when he talked about delimitation on a pro-rata basis. What is your take on the controversy?

Not only Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Thiru M K Stalin but the entire party seems to be hallucinating, raising questions based on imaginary fears. Unfortunately, these people continue to raise this question despite our honourable Home Minister Thiru Amit Shah clarifying that the delimitation exercise will be done on a pro-rata basis and no states will suffer. Anyway, last time I checked, A Raja was still a Lok Sabha MP. What stopped him or his colleagues from raising this question in the House in the last Budget session? Are they afraid of being exposed?

The Tamil Nadu government has rejected the three-language formula in the National Education Policy (NEP), calling it Hindi imposition…

M K Stalin is a hypocrite. He has allowed the three-language formula to flourish in private schools, including those run by his family and other DMK leaders, but is making a concerted effort to restrict government school children from learning a third language. People have now seen through DMK’s double standards. To divert attention from this, the DMK is painting the three-language formula proposed as a Hindi imposition.

M K Stalin has said Hindi has eaten up several north Indian languages, adding that Tamil Nadu will continue to resist it. What do you say to that?

I saw the backlash he received on social media for trusting unreliable information and publishing it. A CM should behave responsibly on social media.

What are your views on the defacement of Hindi signboards in public places in the state?

I had already suggested they visit the offices of the Enforcement Directorate, Income Tax, with the black paint dabba and seek the help of the frequently visiting DMK Ministers if they had doubts about the addresses of these offices. The DMK should understand this is not 1960. People are fed up with this nonsensical propaganda and want transparency in governance.

What is your view on the traditional DMK take on Aryans versus Dravidians, a powerful belief of the Dravidian movement for a century now?

Babasaheb Ambedkar said the right place for the Aryan-Dravidian theory was the dustbin. The DMK invents new reasons to divide people. When one is defunct, they will come up with a new method. Lately, they have seen little success as people have become vigilant.

Why has the BJP found electoral growth in Tamil Nadu so difficult?

The DMK was formed in 1949 and the AIADMK in the early 1970s. The Congress once ruled Tamil Nadu and today it has less than 3% vote share in the state. The BJP was a late entrant in Tamil Nadu politics and by then two strong leaders were already in the fray, making it difficult for us to grow. However, the BJP began taking a great leap forward after Thiru Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister in 2014. We are making our presence felt strongly and as a party we have 11.5% vote share today. We have been seeing incremental growth and are confident about improving exponentially in 2026.

The Centre has promoted Kashi Tamil Sangamam to highlight historical links between Tamil Nadu and the North. The PM has praised Tamil as a language and talked about Sengol. Home Minister Amit Shah just named a CISF training centre after Rajaditya Chola. Why has the DMK still aggressively targeted the BJP as anti-Tamil?

We are not worried about the DMK’s stance. They did the same to Karmaveerar Kamarajar Aiyya. This has been their politics since inception. Why should I seek validation from the DMK? We seek the support of the people of Tamil Nadu. Our rising vote bank is a testament to change.

But what is your strategy to counter the DMK?

It is the other way round today. The DMK is struggling to answer the questions that we ask and is trying to divert the attention of people with hallucinatory fears. We will continue to ask the DMK uncomfortable questions.

Is there any chance of a renewed understanding with the AIADMK?

My duty is to take the policies of our honourable PM throughout the state. My duty is to ensure the growth of our party in the state. Alliances are not something that we wish to discuss at this point in time, but at an appropriate time, our national leadership will take a call.

The DMK says the Dravidian model has led to better education and social development. Do you agree?

I quoted the ASER report to wake DMK to reality and to act on the deteriorating state of education. A study by Stanford University also had similar findings. The DMK seems to be living in denial. The GER (gross enrolment ratio) has dropped by 2%. The State Planning Commission published a report last year that said there was unequal development across districts and growing imbalance in Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu is beyond Chennai. Kalaignar Karunanidhi’s home district Thiruvarur is at the bottom of the table in the Human Development Index. Many districts in Bihar have a better score than that. What development are we talking about here?

Are you maintaining your vow not to wear footwear till the DMK is defeated in Tamil Nadu?

Ask me if you find me wearing my footwear until the DMK is ousted in 2026.