NEET, Sanskrit used to eliminate candidates from backward, rural, underprivileged backgrounds: Udhayanidhi

Stalin also said that in the 1920s, knowing Sanskrit was compulsory to pursue studies in medical education, this led to preventing candidates from backward classes to enroll for the studies.

Udhayanidhi Stalin, Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, stirred a row once again with a statement he made on Saturday about the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) exams, which he compared with the Sanskrit language.

As per a report by The Hindu, Stalin compared the medical entrance exams to Sanskrit, saying that both are used to eliminate candidates from backward, rural or underprivileged background.

Stalin also said that in the 1920s, knowing Sanskrit was compulsory to pursue studies in medical education, which led to preventing candidates from backward classes to enroll for the studies, the publication reported.

While speaking on literary and linguistic ethos in Dravidian politics, he said the Dravidian political movement in Tamil Nadu, known for its strong linguistic and cultural pride, has long held Tamil literature and language as its foundation pillars.

"This fusion of literary, linguistic, and political ethos created a powerful identity that profoundly shaped Tamil Nadu's social and political landscape," he said, speaking at the Art and Literature festival of Manorama Daily group at Kozhikode.

He said both Tamil Nadu and Kerala were the two most progressive states in India, and both have successfully kept the fascist and communal forces at bay.

Further, he said that Dravidian leaders invoked Tamil literature to propagate nationalism and scientific temper and leaders like C N Annadurai and M Karunanidhi popularised Tamil literature among the people.

The Dravidian movement placed Tamil as a core of its identity and Tamil wasn't seen merely as a medium of communication but as a voice of the community seeking recognition, dignity, and independence from the Hindi imposition, he added.

"The push to make Hindi as an official language during the 1930s and later in the 1960s stimulated the Dravidian movement which perceived it as an excessive threat to Tamil culture and linguistic identity," Stalin said.

Stalin said that political parties in Tamil Nadu except BJP should focus on two-language formula which was introduced by DMK to survive in the Tamil Nadu political landscape.

He recalled that Governor R N Ravi refused to read the words Tamil Nadu in the state assembly but instead said Tamilagam.

There is a threat from the BJP which is trying to impose one nation, one election, one culture, and religion concept, he said. "Let us stand together and protect our language, culture and literature from the fascist BJP," he appealed.

(With PTI inputs)