DMK MP and the party’s Deputy General Secretary Kanimozhi has been accusing the central government of “imposing” Hindi in Tamil Nadu, escalating the party’s ongoing confrontation with the Centre over language policy.
On 29 January 2026, the Lok Sabha member shared a photograph on social media platform X of a railway station nameboard in Chennai, claiming it had been “changed from English to Hindi.” Referring to the signage at Park Town suburban railway station near Chennai’s MGR Central, Kanimozhi objected to what she described as the replacement of predominantly English display with Hindi.
Posting the image, she wrote, “It started in Kallakudi and continues to Chennai Park. They are not going to stop imposing it, and we are not going to stop opposing it”.
கல்லக்குடியில் தொடங்கியது, சென்னை பூங்கா வரை தொடர்கிறது. அவர்கள் திணிப்பதை நிறுத்தப் போவதுமில்லை. நாம் அதை எதிர்ப்பதில் ஓயப்போவதுமில்லை. https://t.co/Y9hKti0KDL
— Kanimozhi (கனிமொழி) (@KanimozhiDMK) January 29, 2026
Her remarks came amid renewed tensions between the DMK and the Union government on the language issue, with the party repeatedly alleging that the Centre is promoting Hindi in non-Hindi-speaking states through administrative measures and education policy interventions.
On 4 February 2026, she again shared an image – a photograph of signage at Sivakasi railway station and sharpened her attack, writing: “This Hindi imposition virus that is spreading across the land like an infectious disease must be controlled. Following Chennai Park Railway Station, name boards prioritising Hindi have now been installed in Sivakasi as well.”
நோய்த்தொற்றைப் போல ஊரெங்கும் பரவிடும் இந்த இந்தித் திணிப்புக் கிருமியைக் கட்டுப்படுத்தியாக வேண்டும்.
சென்னை பூங்கா ரயில் நிலையத்தைத் தொடர்ந்து தற்போது சிவகாசியிலும் இந்தியை முதன்மைப்படுத்தி பெயர்ப்பலகை வைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. https://t.co/HVpxieoyrK pic.twitter.com/SJFkrRQ7Gw
— Kanimozhi (கனிமொழி) (@KanimozhiDMK) February 4, 2026
It is noteworthy that the signage displays three languages, Tamil, Hindi, and English, with Tamil placed at the top. In this context, it remains unclear why the issue has drawn criticism from DMK leaders and other Dravidian voices, given that Hindi does not appear as the sole language on the nameboard.
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