The Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC), an autonomous body responsible for recruiting civil servants, is facing severe backlash over allegations of politicization under the DMK government. The latest controversy stems from a question in the Technical Services Examination (Non-Interview Post) held on 17 August 2025, which directly blamed the Union Government for withholding funds from Tamil Nadu under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme (SSS), a politically charged framing that aligns with the DMK’s rhetoric against the Centre.
TNPSC Exam Paper Mirrors DMK’s Political Narrative
The question in the Reason and Assertion section read:
Assertion [A]: Tamil Nadu has long resisted the imposition of Hindi in government schools and hence refused to join the Prime Minister Schools for Rising India (PMSRI). Therefore, the Union Government has withheld funds under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme (SSS).
Reason [R]: Though the Union government acknowledged Tamil Nadu’s two-language policy, it seeks to influence subjects in the Concurrent List through the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which the Tamil Nadu government opposes as an attack on federalism.
Critics argue that the question frames the Centre as the villain while uncritically endorsing the DMK’s stance, raising concerns over whether TNPSC is functioning as an extension of the ruling party’s propaganda machinery.
நேற்று நடைபெற்ற Technical services examinations (non-interview post 17.8.25)
தேர்வில் கேட்கப்பட்ட கேள்வி.
தமிழ்நாட்டுக்குத் தர வேண்டிய நிதியை நிறுத்திய மத்திய அரசு?
This is how autonomous institutions are being politicised under the dmk regime !
Time for TNPSC to change its… pic.twitter.com/OMcmLNyRN8— karthik gopinath (@karthikgnath) August 18, 2025
A Pattern of Politicization
This is not an isolated incident. Over the past year, TNPSC exams have repeatedly included politically loaded questions that critics say promote DMK’s agenda:
“Thayumanavar” Controversy (Group 2A Exam, 2025)
A question asked which scheme made people call the Chief Minister “Thayumanavar“, with options listing DMK welfare schemes like Makkaludan Mudhalvar and School Breakfast Program.
Critics slammed it as sycophantic, arguing that exams should test governance knowledge, not propaganda.
Freedom Fighter Vilified (Group 1 Exam, July 2024)
A question labeled Vanchinathan, a Tamil freedom fighter who assassinated British official Robert Ashe, as a “first accused” in a murder case, echoing colonial-era rhetoric rather than honoring his role in the independence struggle.
UNESCO’s “Socrates of South Asia” Myth (Group 1 Exam, 2024)
A question falsely claimed E.V. Ramasamy (Periyar) was certified by UNESCO as the “Socrates of South Asia”, despite UNESCO denying ever giving such a title.
துணை ஆட்சியாளர் துணை காவல் கண்காணிப்பாளர தேர்ந்தெடுக்க நேற்று TNPSC group 1 exam ல கேட்கபட்ட திராவிடியாத்தனமான கேள்விய பாருங்க மக்களே இந்த பொய்ய எத்தனை தடவை செருப்பால அடுச்சு ஓட விட்டாலும் திருட்டு திமுக @mkstalin திராவிடியா அரசாங்கம் திருந்துற மாதிரி இல்ல?@annamalai_k pic.twitter.com/PytHLfYTQ1
— பைரவன் V6 (@Bhairavan_) July 14, 2024
The DMK has long pushed this debunked claim, and TNPSC’s inclusion of it raised eyebrows.
Selective Erasure of Caste Surnames (Group 1 Exam, 2025)
While DMK leaders like Annadurai and Periyar were mentioned without caste surnames, others including Subbarayalu Reddiar, V.O. Chidambaram Pillai, and Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy were explicitly identified by caste.
This hypocrisy contradicts the DMK’s claim of abolishing caste identities, exposing its political opportunism.
The present controversy has reignited debates over the DMK’s influence on autonomous bodies, with many questioning whether Tamil Nadu’s administrative institutions are now extensions of the ruling party.
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