Anti-Tamil Governor, Annamalai aid INDIA bloc: TNCC president Selvaperunthagai

CHENNAI: Criticising the signature campaign launched by the state BJP president K Annamalai against the two-language policy of Tamil Nadu and endorsing the trilingual policy pushed vehemently by the Union government, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president K Selvaperunthagai on Thursday said that the anti-Tamil activities of Governor RN Ravi and Annamalai would brighten the prospects of the DMK-led INDIA bloc in the 2026 Assembly polls.

Like PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who are vying with each other to act against the interest of Tamil Nadu, Governor R N Ravi and Annamalai are partnering and engaging in anti-Tamil politics on a daily basis, hindering the growth of the State, the TNCC chief said in a statement. “The anti-Tamil activities of the duo would brighten the prospects of the INDIA bloc in 2026,” he added.

Taking a strong exception to the claim of Annamalai that about Rs 675.36 crore was allocated for Sanskrit and only Rs 75.05 was allocated for Tamil during 2006-14 period of the UPA, Selvaperunthagai called it a ‘baseless allegation’ and said, “An exclusive outfit called Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan was created to popularise Sanskrit. The BJP regime had allocated Rs 198.31 crore, Rs 214.8 crore and Rs 231.15 crore to the outfit in 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20. Altogether, Rs 643.84 crore was allocated in three years under the BJP regime for Sanskrit. Annamalai must specify how and on what basis the sum was allocated for Sanskrit? Merely generalisation was outright slander.”

From 2017-18 to 2019-20, only Rs 22.24 crore was allocated for the Central Institute of Classical Tamil in Chennai, Selvaperunthagai pointed out. “Only Rs 1 crore each allocated for Kannada and Telugu during the same period, he said.