Former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai has sharply criticised the Tamil Nadu government after Hindi words on signboards at a Chennai post office and BSNL office were blackened amid the ongoing language row. Calling it a “big blow to Tamil Nadu,” he warned that such acts create an impression of lawlessness. “This is shocking! A big big blow to Tamil Nadu. Investors will feel there is no Rule of law but the Rule of the Violent Mob. CM MK Stalin should stop this before TN brand gets damaged badly by this extreme cultural violence,” Pai wrote on X.
The incident is part of a broader controversy over alleged Hindi imposition, with pro-Tamil activists and DMK workers defacing Hindi signboards at railway stations across the state. In a widely circulated video, activists were seen blackening the Hindi script on the nameboard at Pollachi Junction, which officials later restored. In another case, DMK members defaced the Hindi portion of the Palayankottai railway station signboard in Tirunelveli district. Six party workers were booked under the Railways Act.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President M K Stalin has doubled down on his opposition to Hindi, accusing the Centre of "sowing the seeds of language war." In a letter to party workers, he stated, “We are ready for it...we will not allow the domination of any other language.” While reiterating that the state is not against learning any language, he insisted Tamil must not be overshadowed, justifying the DMK’s adherence to a Tamil-English bilingual policy.
The ruling party has long positioned itself as a defender of Tamil identity, citing sacrifices made since the anti-Hindi agitation of 1965. Stalin recalled a recent interaction where a schoolgirl in Cuddalore, Nanmukhi, symbolically offered ₹10,000 from her savings, declaring she would fund Tamil Nadu’s education if the Centre withheld funds over the state’s rejection of the National Education Policy (NEP). “Like her, there are one crore young Nanmukhis in Tamil Nadu willing to defend their mother tongue,” he said.