Appreciating Prime Minister Narendra Modis’s speech extolling the greatness of the Tamil language, DMK president M.K. Stalin on Tuesday urged him to make Tamil one of the official languages of the country as well as the language of the Madras High Court.
“The DMK has been pressing for making all the 22 languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution the official languages of the country. As a first step, Tamil, the ancient among the languages, should be [made] an official language of the country,” he said in a statement.
Mr. Stalin pointed out that Tamil was already an official language in some countries, but not in India — its homeland.
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“Prime Minister Modi has the responsibility of making Tamil — the ancient language rich in literary works and grammar, and which is part of an ancient civilisation and is spoken by eight crore people — an official language,” he said.
The DMK leader added that though the Centre had failed to allocate adequate funds for excavation in Keeladi, the State government’s Archaeology Department had come out with findings that bore testimony to the early urban civilization of the Tamils. “The Prime Minister’s speech in the U.S. and to the United Nations had drawn the attention of the world,” he said.
Reacting to Mr. Modi’s appreciation of Tamil food — idli, vada and dosa — Mr. Stalin said Tamils were known not only for their hospitality, but also for their gratefulness.
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