Tamil Nadu BJP state president K Annamalai has strongly criticized MSME Minister TM Anbarasan for his remarks on North Indian workers employed in the state. Annamalai accused the minister of belittling gig workers from North India and disregarding Tamil cultural values.The controversy arose after Anbarasan, during a public meeting, stated that those who learned Hindi were once cattle grazers at his house. āI am not joking. It is true. They are selling āpani puriā and are engaged in construction works and carpentry. If we study Hindi, we too have to go to North India and sell pani puri,ā he said.
Reacting to these comments, Annamalai took to social media to condemn the minister, stating, āDMK ministers take great joy in belittling our brothers and sisters from Northern India, often forgetting our Tamil values and culture.ā He further attacked Anbarasanās educational background, noting that he had only completed the 11th grade and had poor proficiency in Tamil despite being an MSME minister.
Annamalai also accused the ruling DMK of āintoxicating the younger generation with unrestricted liquor sales and easy access to drugsā while simultaneously mocking the migrant workforce, which he said was essential in filling Tamil Naduās labor shortage.
Addressing concerns over language, Annamalai clarified that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 does not prioritize Hindi over regional languages. Instead, he emphasized that the policy promotes all Indian languages, reinforces Tamil as the medium of instruction, and provides government school students an opportunity to learn a third language and foreign languages at the secondary level.
The remarks from both leaders have sparked fresh debates on language, migration, and employment in Tamil Nadu.