Overview
- Dayanidhi Maran told students that girls in several northern states are asked to stay at home, work in the kitchen and bear children, contrasting this with Tamil Nadu’s push for education and jobs.
- The BJP called the comments derogatory toward Hindi-speaking states and sought an unconditional apology, with spokespersons including Narayanan Thirupathy publicly condemning Maran.
- DMK figures, notably TKS Elangovan, defended the comparison as a critique of governance and framed it within the Dravidian model’s emphasis on women’s empowerment.
- Maran’s comments came at Quaid-E-Millath Government College for Women where Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin distributed laptops to 900 students under the Ulagam Ungal Kaiyil scheme, part of a plan to give devices to about 10 lakh students.
- Coverage also noted Maran’s related criticism of Hindi-only education and cited 2011 Census figures showing Tamil Nadu’s higher female literacy than several northern states, with no apology from Maran reported so far.