Overview

• Speaking at India Today Conclave South 2025, S Gurumurthy called the DMK a dishonest party that is neither faithful to Dravidian ideology nor to Tamil identity.
• He framed the Dravidian label as a borrowed, racial construct from the British era and traced its political roots to Periyar’s response to Congress-era caste dominance.
• Gurumurthy accused the DMK of co‑opting Tamil literature and said its preference for English‑medium education undermines Tamil language and culture.
• He praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for initiatives celebrating Tamil history, including honoring figures like Rajaraja Chola, which he said reconnect Tamil Nadu to India’s spiritual and cultural roots.
• Arguing that the BJP and RSS respect regional sentiments, he said they are filling a political and cultural vacuum left by the Congress and predicted growing pressure on the DMK’s stance on Tamil versus Dravidian identity.