Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], November 21 : BJP leader K Annamalai on Friday criticised Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin for calling Sanskrit a "dead language," saying the DMK government is avoiding real issues like development and good governance by stirring language debates.
Annamalai said that the language receives more funding simply because India has more Sanskrit universities than Tamil universities, not because the government gives it special preference.
Speaking to the reporters in Chennai, K Annamalai said, "Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin needs to understand that no one in our country gives extra money to any language... Look at the number of Sanskrit universities and Tamil universities in our country during the UPA regime. The number of Sanskrit universities in our country is more than that of Tamil universities. So, obviously, Sanskrit universities get more money to promote that language."
"That's why we have requested the Tamil Nadu government to make a proposal to establish more Tamil universities in our country. Who is stopping you?... The DMK can't talk about development, can't talk about good governance, so for the next six months, we'll see this nonsense about language, North, South," he said.
Earlier, Tamil Nadu's Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin criticised Prime Minister Modi for allegedly imposing Hindi and Sanskrit in Tamil Nadu.
He claimed that over the past 10 years, the Union Government has allocated only Rs 150 crores for the development of the Tamil language. In contrast, he alleged that Rs 2,400 crores have been allocated for Sanskrit, which he described it as a "dead language."
"PM Modi in Coimbatore expressed regret for not having learnt Tamil during his childhood. On one hand he's acting as if he cares about the Tamil language, on the other hand he's trying to impose Hindi and Sanskrit. How's it fair? The Union BJP Govt said they would release our school education funds amounting to Rs 2500 Crs only if we implementat the three language formula. How's it fair? What has the PM done in the last 10 days for the development of Tamil language? In the last 10 years the Union Govt has allocated only Rs 150 Crs for the development of Tamil. But for the 'dead' language Sanskrit, Rs 2400 Crs has been allocated," said Stalin.