Modi flags off TN infra push, slams Stalin govt

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hit out at the Dravida Munnetra (DMK)-led Tamil Nadu government amid a pitched battle over the Centre's three-language policy and said that all ministers in the southern state signed letters to him in English despite "saying they were proud of the Tamil language", as he inaugurated the new Pamban Bridge to link Rameswaram island with mainland India.

- Divya Chandrababu and Neha LM Tripathi

The central government is working to ensure that the Tamil language and Tamil heritage reach every corner of the world, he said, and urged the state government to begin medical courses in the language.

"I am surprised when I receive letters from some leaders of Tamil Nadu; none of them are signed in the Tamil language. If you are proud of Tamil, then I would request everyone to at least sign your name in Tamil," Modi told a gathering of over 20,000 in Rameswaram.

He laid the foundation stone for a raft of rail and road projects worth over ₹8,300 crore as well.

The Prime Minister said the central government, under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), had significantly increased funding for the state.

"Yet, some people have a habit of complaining without reason, they keep crying about things," he said, a likely reference to the DMK's allegations that the Centre was withholding funds for the state.

Earlier in the day, Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin, who skipped the event in Rameswaram, called on Modi to promise states that have successfully controlled population growth that they will not be "penalised" in the delimitation exercise, which is scheduled to be held in 2026.

"Standing on Tamil soil, the Prime Minister must give a clear guarantee: 'Tamil Nadu and other states that have successfully controlled population growth will not be penalised in the impending delimitation exercise. Their share of parliamentary seats in percentage terms will remain untouched"," he said on X. The comments came against the backdrop of a spiralling row between the DMK and the BJP over the language issue and the scheduled delimitation exercise.