A question referring to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s remarks on Hinduism in the TNPSC Group 2 preliminary examination held on November 1 has triggered controversy.
The question, framed in the Assertion and Reason format, referred to Ambedkar’s announcement at a public meeting in Yeola, Nashik district, on October 13, 1935, where he declared that he would not die a Hindu.
The question read:
Assertion [A]: Dr. B.R. Ambedkar announced this on October 13, 1935, at a public meeting at Yeola, in Nashik district.
Reason [R]: “I am born a Hindu because I could not help it but I assure you that I will not die a Hindu.”
Candidates were asked to identify the correct relationship between the assertion and the reason from four options, including whether both statements were true and whether the reason correctly explained the assertion.
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Not The First Time: Previous TNPSC Exam Controversies
This is not the first time TNPSC examination papers have faced allegations of political bias, questionable framing and factual errors.
In December 2025, a Group-IV Police Sub-Inspector examination included a question asking candidates to match the Anti-Hindi Agitation with specific years alongside the founding of the DMK, the State Reorganisation Act and the formation of the Justice Party. The framing wrongly associated the Anti-Hindi agitations with the DMK, even though the 1937–39 protests predated the party’s formation in 1949.
In September 2025, the Junior Assistant Draftsman examination came under fire over an English translation that referred to Ayya Vaikundar as the “god of hair cutting”. Another question mistranslated the recognition received by the People’s Health Care Scheme from the United Nations.
Earlier, in August 2025, the TNPSC Technical Services examination featured a question linking Tamil Nadu’s refusal to join PM SHRI with the Union Government withholding funds under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme. The question reproduced the DMK government’s political narrative.
In the 2025 Group 2A examination, another question asked which welfare scheme earned Chief Minister Stalin the title “Thayumanavar”, drawing criticism for its political glorification.
The controversies go back further. A 2024 Group 1 examination question described freedom fighter Vanchinathan as an accused in a murder case. Another question repeated the claim that UNESCO had recognised Periyar as the “Socrates of South Asia”, despite UNESCO denying that it had conferred such a title.
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