DMK Mocks PM Modi for His Tamil Pitch, Dubs it as Drama to Win People's Hearts

Chennai: The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Friday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his recent Tamil pitch alleging it was a drama to win people's hearts and asserted that they will not be deceived.

Taking potshots at the Prime Minister, the DMK said for him, a "boundless bond for Tamil is now on and he spoke of Tamil's ancientness as if it was a new find." In a write-up targeting Modi, DMK organ 'Murasoli', said the language's antiquity has been documented long ago.

The praise for Tamil came from the prime minister at the recent United Nations General Assembly, the IIT convocation, and at a reception hosted by the BJP here for him when he said his remark on Tamil's ancientness echoed in the US.

"They have begun to enact a drama as if they adore Tamil, they are compelled to talk about Tamil's antiquity in the United Nations out of compulsion and this is a victory of the DMK's line of upholding linguistic rights," the Dravidian party's mouthpiece said.

"Modi thinks of entering the hearts of Tamils by using Tamil as a route. Tamil people will not be deceived through these sugar-coated words," it said.

The party again accused the BJP of being committed to making Hindi as India's identity in terms of language and ridiculed it for developing a "sudden love for Tamil." The DMK clearly indicated that the saffron party wanted to win polls in Tamil Nadu by clinging to Tamil.

Reiterating its demand that Tamil be made one of the official languages at the Centre, the main opposition party in the state said it was being blamed for "doing politics," in the name of Tamil.

"Some say that DMK is doing politics in the name of language; yes it is true! there is no denying that," the write-up said.

Only due to such a stand, reversal to Tamil language was halted and its acclamation was made a prerequisite for "Sanskrit-Hindi chauvinists" to do politics in Tamil Nadu, the daily claimed.

Modi's praise for Tamil is seen as an attempt to reach out to the people of Tamil Nadu after a row broke out with Home Minister Amit Shah's pitching for Hindi as a common language which was condemned as "Hindi imposition," by parties in the state.