Kanimozhi defends temple college funds, supports fight against ‘Hindi imposition’

In a candid conversation with The Federal, Kanimozhi, also the DMK’s deputy general secretary, addresses a series of politically charged issues— from ‘Hindi imposition’ in non-Hindi states to the DMK’s stand on education policy and state rights.

Also Read: 'Let North Indians learn Tamil too': Kanimozhi hits back at Amit Shah

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami has accused the DMK government of misusing HR&CE funds to build a college. What’s your response?

First, he has to understand that this is not something the DMK government started. The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department has been opening colleges for decades. Religious institutions opening colleges is a long-standing tradition—not something that began after Independence.

Even before that, Christian missionaries have started colleges and schools. Islamic institutions too have run their own schools. Similarly, temples—thanks to the kings who donated to them—have run ‘padasalas’, fed the poor, built temple tanks, and supported farmers. These roles are well-documented in temple inscriptions.

Since the HR&CE Board was established, even in the 1960s, temples have built and run colleges and schools. The concerned minister said this clearly yesterday—that even during the time of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa and before her, under MG Ramachandran, institutions were supported and funds were given from HR&CE because the temples themselves were running these institutions.

Also Read: Kanimozhi gets office at DMK HQ Arivalayam, next to Karunanidhi’s space

So there’s nothing new here. People donate to temples to help people. You cannot separate people from religious institutions or temples. Shockingly, someone who claims to be from the Dravidian movement is speaking worse than the RSS. I don’t think even they have made such claims. His true colours are coming out—very clearly.

TVK leader Vijay Vasanth recently said his party would never ally with the BJP, unlike AIADMK or DMK. How do you respond to that?

That’s a decision his party leader has taken—and good for them. Unlike the AIADMK, they’ve made a clear decision not to align with the BJP. I have nothing further to say about that.

Today, it is the DMK that is fighting against the BJP and standing at the forefront in challenging its ideology.

Could you share more about your recent international trip? At a press meet in Spain, you said that India's language is 'unity in diversity.' How was the experience?

The trip was very interesting. It helped us understand how other countries perceive India. We had the opportunity to explain our position and clarify what’s happening in the country.

We also highlighted how we continue to suffer from terrorism—terrorism that is born, financed, and sponsored by Pakistan. This isn’t the first time we've faced it. We’ve suffered many times. It was important to help the international community understand this.

Many of us have been fighting to preserve the diversity of this country—our states, languages, cultures, and traditions. That’s what India is. That’s what India stands for. That’s what our founding fathers fought for.

The DMK has always emphasised that diversity and plurality are vital and must be protected.

Also Read: What is India's national language? Unity in Diversity, replies Kanimozhi

How do you view Operation Sindoor? Has the government responded as expected?

We will discuss it in Parliament. We certainly have questions to raise and will be asking for clarifications.

So you still have a lot of questions about the operation?

Yes, everyone has a lot of questions. We will ask them.

In Maharashtra, there are now political tensions over the imposition of Hindi in schools. States like Tamil Nadu have long resisted such moves. How do you view this development?

Tamil Nadu understood much earlier that imposing Hindi would harm the state's identity and take away its language. Our leaders recognised this and fought back.

Now, I’m glad that—even if a little late—states like Maharashtra, Karnataka, and others are realising the consequences of Hindi imposition. They see their languages being pushed into the background. They now understand the price they’ve paid for tolerating this and are standing up for their rights.

We stand with them.

The Centre has allegedly withheld thousands of crores in education funds for Tamil Nadu. How would you respond to this? What is your request to Prime Minister Narendra Modi?

Our request is simple: Give education back to the State List. That’s the solution to all these problems. States know best what their students need. We can manage education better than the Centre. Give it back to us.

Also Read: Jhansi Rani to Kanimozhi to Kalpana Soren, Indian women leaders are rarely Plan A

Will you raise issues related to education policy and NEP again in Parliament?

We’ve been raising these issues time and again. We’ve always said: give it back to the State List.

The content above has been generated using a fine-tuned AI model. To ensure accuracy, quality, and editorial integrity, we employ a Human-In-The-Loop (HITL) process. While AI assists in creating the initial draft, our experienced editorial team carefully reviews, edits, and refines the content before publication. At The Federal, we combine the efficiency of AI with the expertise of human editors to deliver reliable and insightful journalism.