Now, DMK chief M Karunanidhi condemns Sanskrit Week, asks Narendra Modi government to rework plan

Joining the chorus in Tamil Nadu against the "Sanskrit Week" celebrations planned by Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in its schools, DMK President M Karunanidhi on Monday asked the Centre to confine the proposal to Hindi-speaking states only.

"I urge the Union Government to issue a revised circular on this issue... The Centre announced that use of Hindi in social media was confined to Hindi-speaking States alone and such a stance should be adopted now in this issue," he said in a statement.

Urging the Modi Government to focus on livelihood issues of people, he said only such an approach would help avoid clash of ideas. "We have never accepted the imposition of either Hindi or Sanskrit. Celebration of Sanskrit Week in CBSE schools in Tamil Nadu is not acceptable," he added.

Hitting out at Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on the issue, he accused her of "double standards" as her regime had given a grant of Rs two crore to Vivekananda Cultural Centre in Chennai which has been "set up to teach Hindi and Sanskrit." Jayalalithaa and leaders of various other parties, including BJP's allies in the state MDMK and PMK, have objected to the Sanskrit Week celebrations planned next month across the country.