Chennai: It’s not often that politicians say sorry, at least in public.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah turned out to be an exception.
Addressing BJP workers in Madurai on Sunday, Shah described Tamil as one of the greatest languages of India and extended an apology for not being able to convey his message in Tamil.
“I apologise to the party workers of Tamil Nadu as I cannot talk to them in one of the greatest languages of India, Tamil,” said Shah at the beginning of his speech.
It was a significant comment as the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government has constantly accused the Central government of trying to impose Hindi through the three-language formula of NEP. Chief minister MK Stalin has said his government won’t tolerate “Hindi colonialism” and dared BJP to fight the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections based on language issue.
Shah sounded the poll bugle in the southern state, assuring party workers that DMK will be defeated next year and an NDA government of the BJP-AIADMK would form.
“The NDA government of the BJP-AIADMK alliance will be formed here in 2026. I live in Delhi, but my ears are always on Tamil Nadu. MK Stalin says that Amit Shah cannot defeat DMK. He is right. It’s not me, but the people of Tamil Nadu will defeat you,” Shah said.
