Vellore (Tamil Nadu) [India], July 4 : DMK Minister EV Velu on Friday criticised the Union Government for allocating Rs 2,500 crore towards the development of Sanskrit while allotting just Rs 167 crore for Tamil.
At a public meeting in Vellore, the senior DMK leader mocked the Sanskrit, claiming it was a language that was not understandable to the general public.
"Why spend Rs 2,500 crore on Sanskrit, a language no one even understands? In marriage ceremonies, chants are in Sanskrit -- but who understands them?" Velu asked.
Velu said, "Tamil is a living, breathing language spoken and understood by millions across classes and communities. Can two lovers express their love in Sanskrit? They can do so in Tamil."
The Minister also accused the Centre of diverting Tamil Nadu's tax contributions for promoting a language that has little practical use in contemporary society.
"Tamil Nadu is the second-highest contributor to GST in the country. Yet, our money is being used for Sanskrit development, while Tamil -- which holds classical language status and is deeply rooted in our culture -- is being sidelined," he said.
Earlier, a political row erupted after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin alleged biased allocation of central funds favouring Sanskrit over other Indian classical languages, including Tamil.
Citing a media report and voicing strong criticism on social media platform X, the Chief Minister wrote, "Sanskrit gets the crores; Tamil and other South Indian languages get nothing but crocodile tears.
"The criticism follows a media report that quoted the reply to an RTI query, which said that the Union Government allocated Rs 2,532.59 crore between 2014-15 and 2024-25 for the promotion of Sanskrit.
In contrast, a total of only Rs 147.56 crore was spent on all five other classical Indian languages combined--Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Odia--over the same period, claimed the report.
MH Jawahirullah, the president of Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK), alleged that the funding disparity revealed a discriminatory and biased approach by the BJP-led Union Government and called for urgent corrective measures.
He said, "This amount is 17 times higher than the total funding of Rs 147.56 crore allocated for all five other classical languages combined, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Odia, according to data obtained through an RTI query, as reported by an English daily. On average, Sanskrit has received Rs 230.24 crore per year, whereas the other five classical languages have received only Rs 13.41 crore per year on average, revealing the Union BJP government's discriminatory and biased approach."
He urged the Centre to provide equitable funding and fair recognition for Tamil and other classical languages."
Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated in Madurai that Tamil is the "best language in India". But these statistics expose that such remarks are mere lip service without substance. I urge the Union Government to immediately provide due recognition, equitable funding, and developmental programs for Tamil and all other classical languages," he said.