BJP slams Rahul Gandhi’s Tamil‑culture charge, warns of regional divide

New Delhi – When Rahul Gandhi landed in Chennai on Saturday, he used a student‑forum platform to allege that the Union government was waging a "full‑scale attack" on Tamil language, history and traditions. He pointed to the centralised conduct of exams like NEET and hinted that the Centre was trying to impose a Hindi‑centric narrative.

Not long after, the BJP’s national spokesperson, Sudhanshu Trivedi, took to the podium in New Delhi and brushed the charge off as “baseless”. He reminded the press that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his 2019 address to the UN General Assembly, had proudly spoken about the religious and literary richness of Tamil culture.

“The Tamil language has been treated with full respect under the Modi administration,” Trivedi said. He cited the placement of the sacred Sengol – a centuries‑old symbol of Tamil sovereignty – in the newly‑inaugurated Parliament building in 2023 as a tangible example.

He went on to list a string of other gestures that, in his view, underscored the government’s commitment to the Dravidian heritage. The Chola copper plates, which had been housed in The Hague for decades, were handed back to India on May 16, 2026. A Subramania Bharati Chair was inaugurated at Banaras Hindu University, aimed at fostering research on the poet‑reformer’s oeuvre.

“Our aim is to celebrate the unity of Indian culture, not to stir up division,” Trivedi added, noting the Kashi Tamil Sangamam and the Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam – two cultural programmes launched by the Prime Minister to bring Tamil scholars from across the country together.

He also recalled how Modi had presented a copy of the Thirukkural, the revered Tamil moral treatise, to Russian President Vladimir Putin, a gesture that, according to the spokesperson, highlighted the global appreciation of Tamil literature.

Rahul Gandhi, for his part, urged students to “stand up for what they believe in”, insisting that the central policies were eroding regional identities. The Congress leader’s remarks have reignited a familiar political tussle: the centre‑state friction over language, education and cultural representation.

While the BJP framed the episode as an attempt by the Congress to create a north‑south rift, critics argue that both sides are using cultural symbols as political ammunition. As the debate continues, the underlying question remains – can the country honour its myriad traditions without them becoming flashpoints in electoral battles?