DMK Minister of Public Works EV Velu, alias Ethirajalu Vajjaravelu on Friday, 4 July 2025 sharply criticised the Union government for what he described as excessive financial support for Sanskrit while sidelining Tamil, a language he argued is widely spoken and deeply rooted in everyday life.
Speaking at a public event in Vellore, Velu mocked Sanskrit chants used in Hindu wedding ceremonies, questioning their relevance in modern society.
“Who the hell even understands that?” Velu said. “Can two lovers confess their love in Sanskrit? They can do so in Tamil – anbe aaruyire,” he added, asserting that Tamil is a living language spoken and understood by all sections of society. Then he mocked the Sanskrit shlokas and said, “Shuklaam….. if you go to a wedding, they’d say, Kannika daanam samarpayami, Godaanam samarpayami, who the hell understands that? Our guy will take out some notes without understanding what he said.”
He pointed out that the Centre had allocated ₹2,500 crore for Sanskrit development but just ₹167 crore for Tamil, despite Tamil Nadu being the second-largest contributor to GST revenue in the country.
“By taking our money via GST, they are using it for Sanskrit development. Does anyone even understand Sanskrit? We can say ‘I love you’ in Tamil. If you go to a marriage function, they speak in Sanskrit. Who the hell even understands that?” Velu said.
“Why spend ₹2,500 crore for development of Sanskrit language that no one understands?” he asked, accusing the Union government of prioritising Sanskrit—a language spoken by a limited section of society, while neglecting Tamil.
Tamil Nadu Minister EV Velu mocks Sanskrit mantras during rituals, sparks language war.@anaghakesav #news #TamilNadu @suyeshasavant pic.twitter.com/DefpOFMuTs
— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) July 4, 2025
He also stressed Tamil Nadu’s leadership in education and other fields, saying the state deserved better recognition and investment in its cultural and linguistic legacy. “We need to protect our language,” he said.
Velu’s remarks follow a growing chorus of criticism from the DMK-led government in Tamil Nadu, which has accused the BJP-led Union government of linguistic bias.
Made Derogatory Statements On People From Bihar
At a public meeting in June 2023, speaking about the Dravidian Model, EV Velu said “The DMK is running a Dravidian model government. If you ask a DMK man if he ministership or social justice is important, they would choose the latter. Tamil Nadu is one of the fastest-growing states in India. No one from here goes to Bihar in search of work. On the contrary, many people from Bihar come here for work. Governor (RN Ravi) has also come here from Bihar.”
Made Separatist Statements
In a video that went viral in August 2023, DMK Minister EV Velu can be heard saying, “What is the state today? The word India never had any impact on us. When has India had an impact on us? I’m making an open statement. There wasn’t any such impact on us. I’m talking about some time ago. Where did we have an impact? There was no impact. India is someplace in North India. We belong to Tamil Nadu. If possible, we have to create a Dravida Nadu. Our thought process was going in that direction.”
Said Tamil Was Under Threat, Taught Hindi In His School
In February 2025, the Telugu-speaking EV Velu drew criticism for apparent contradictions in his stance on language politics. While vocally opposing the imposition of Hindi and promoting Tamil’s supremacy, recently declaring at a literary festival that a 4,000-year-old language like Tamil should not be overshadowed by a 400-year-old one like Hindi, Velu owns a CBSE-affiliated private school where Hindi is mandatory. His Jeeva Velu International School in Tiruvannamalai follows the central curriculum, despite the DMK’s consistent opposition to the three-language policy. Critics highlight this as a hypocrisy, especially as the DMK frequently accuses the Centre of linguistic imposition.
Anti-Hindu Statements Of MK Stalin
It is not just Velu who makes such derogatory statements. Chief Minister MK Stalin also has a history of doing it.
Insulting Hindu Rituals
MK Stalin himself while speaking at a Muslim wedding function had said that if one were to look at the meaning of the mantras chanted during Hindu wedding ceremonies, it would turn out to be ‘disgusting’.
#இஸ்லாமியர் வீட்டு திருமணத்தில் போய், ஹிந்துக்களின் திருமண சடங்கை கேவலமாக பேசிய ஸ்டாலின்…
ஸ்டாலின் அவர்களே!! உங்களுக்கு ஹிந்து மதம் புடிக்கல இஸ்லாம்தான் புடிச்சிருக்கு அப்படின்னா தாராளமா இஸ்லாம் மதத்துக்கு மாறி போயிடுங்க…
இங்க யாரும் தடுக்க மாட்டாங்க…..#இந்துவிரோதிதிமுக pic.twitter.com/l2I129rYai— CHOWKIDAR(மக்களின் பாதுகாவளர்) LAKSHMI NARAYANAN K (@LAKSHMI51617286) February 2, 2019
Not Wishing For Hindu Festivals
For a very long time, MK Stalin has got into the habit of not wishing Hindus for important festivals such as Deepavali, Ayudha Puja/Vijayadasami, Vinayagar Chathurthi, Krishna Jayanti etc but would without fail wish Christians and Muslims for their respective festivals.
Peddling Hate Against Brahmins & Sanskrit
In February 2025, Stalin reignited the anti-Hindi debate, alleging that the National Education Policy promotes Hindi at the cost of regional languages. In a post on X, he claimed Hindi had overwhelmed languages like Bhojpuri, Maithili, Awadhi, and others, warning of a cultural erasure. In a letter to party cadre, Stalin declared, “Hindi is the mask, Sanskrit is the hidden face,” including an image suggesting Brahmins were behind Sanskrit imposition. Critics argued that Stalin was promoting anti-Brahmin sentiment under the pretext of opposing Hindi. Meanwhile, DMK-linked schools continue teaching Hindi and have adopted aspects of NEP 2020, drawing accusations of hypocrisy.
Endorsed Book Peddling Hindu Hatred
In October 2021, MK Stalin felicitated a group of YouTubers who reportedly raised funds for oxygen equipment at Tiruvannamalai Government Hospital. Among them were Avudaiappan (Behindwoods), Madan Gowri, self-styled ‘fact-checker’ Iyan Karthikeyan, and former News18 Tamil Nadu anchor Senthilvel, now running Tamil Kelvi. During the event, Senthilvel presented a book titled Veda Fanatic India by Pozhilan, featuring a cover with a caricature of a Brahmin priest and a burning map of India.
The book’s imagery and title sparked criticism, with many accusing the DMK and its affiliates of promoting anti-Hindu and specifically anti-Brahmin narratives.
DMK Govt Banned Dharmapuram Aadheenam’s Patttinapravesam
In May 2022, pandering to the rabid anti-Hindu outfits like Dravida Kazhagam, the MK Stalin-led DMK Government in Tamil Nadu banned the age-old Pattina Pravesam ceremony of the Dharmapuram Adheenam.
Pattina Pravesam ceremony is a tradition where Hindu devotees carry the seer of the Dharmapuram Adheenam in a palanquin.
After opposition from Hindu organizations and the BJP, the DMK had to reverse the ban.
Demolition Of Temples In The Name Of Clearing Encroachments
Several temples have been razed down under the garb of ‘clearing encroachments’ pinnning it on the High Court.
In January 2022, an Anjaneya temple in Varadharajapuram, Mudichur, in the Kancheepuram district, was ordered to be demolished despite heavy opposition from local residents and devotees. The Vasudevar Temple in Sulur, Coimbatore, has been demolished. Seven temples have been demolished in Kumarasamy Nagar, Coimbatore. One of the temples is said to be over one hundred years old.
A Sivan Temple in Sriperumbudur was demolished because it was built on government land.
Platforming And Promoting Anti-Hindu Dravidian Stockists
Kannabiran Ravishankar who goes by the handle @kryes on Twitter, is the Editor-in-Chief of Dravida Pozhil, which according to its website is “a quarterly, bi-lingual, academic research journal with focus on Dravidian studies”. He is a high decibel foul-mouthed Dravidian Stockist promoted and platformed by the DK-DMK ecosystem. He recently made social media news for falsifying his degree from UC Berkeley. Kannabiran is known for distorting Hindu scriptures and fomenting hatred against Tamil Brahmin community with vile casteist abuses. He has made several derogatroy and vulgar remarks against Hindu Gods. Many of his tweets have foul language objectifying Tamil Brahmin women. He had even used private photos of Tamil brahmin families including that of children to spew the Dravidian ‘anti-Brahmin’ vitriol.
He was seen giving CM MK Stalin a book, appearing frequently in the Dravidian Professionals Forum, an organisation founded and headed by DMK finance minister PTR Palanivel Thiagarajan, being close friends with DMK MP Senthil Kumar, and receiving a doctorate of letters from the Periyar Maniammai Institute of Science and Technology in front of Dravida Kazhagam (DK) President K. Veeramani.
DMK Govt Created By Christians Said Stalin
CM Stalin himself had said that his government was formed because of Christians while participating in the platinum jubilee celebrations of the Church of South India in September 2021.
“The government that is there in Tamil Nadu today is one that has been created by you. I won’t call it as my government. This is our government.”, CM Stalin said.
In his speech at the event, CM Stalin hailed the Church of South India saying that the Church was a boon to Tamil Nadu which played a big role in building educational institutions and hospitals.
He said that the Church today functions as a movement of ‘social work’ for the Tamil Nadu people.
(With inputs from India Today)
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