Overview
- Speaking at Quaid-E-Millath Government College for Women in Chennai, Dayanidhi Maran said girls in several northern states are told to stay at home, do housework, and even bear children, whereas Tamil Nadu urges them to study and build careers.
- He criticized policies that discourage English education, warning students they are told they will be “kept as slaves” if they study English and linking Hindi-only emphasis to poorer job prospects and migration.
- The BJP called the remarks derogatory to Hindi-speaking people and demanded an unconditional apology, with spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy saying Maran portrayed northerners as uneducated and uncivilised.
- DMK leader T.K.S. Elangovan defended Maran’s broader point by highlighting Tamil Nadu’s focus on women’s empowerment and claiming there is little comparable advocacy for women in many northern states.
- The remarks were made during a laptop distribution under the Ulagam Ungal Kaiyil scheme, where 900 final-year students received devices after a ₹2.5 crore allocation, with state leaders noting a wider plan to reach about 10 lakh students.