As part of an all-party delegation promoting India’s global outreach programme following Operation Sindoor, DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi engaged with the Indian diaspora in Madrid. During the interaction, someone from the audience asked what India’s national language is.
Responding swiftly, Kanimozhi gave a symbolic answer: “The national language of India is unity in diversity.”
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The remark, though brief, packed a political punch — especially given her party’s historic opposition to any perceived imposition of Hindi across non-Hindi-speaking states.
The Tamil Nadu parliamentarian, currently leading the all-party delegation to Spain, emphasised that the message of inclusive nationalism was what her delegation aims to convey to the world.
“That is the message this delegation brings to the world, and that is the most important thing today,” she added.
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The comment also comes at a time when language policy has become a contentious issue between the DMK government in Tamil Nadu and the BJP-led Union government.
The DMK has consistently resisted the Centre’s push for the three-language formula under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The party contends that the policy undermines federal principles and discriminates against states like Tamil Nadu, which have nurtured their own linguistic and cultural identities.
Kanimozhi herself has previously accused the BJP-led Centre of withholding funds to Tamil Nadu for refusing to implement three-language policy, alleging it would “ruin the future of children” and marginalise regional languages.
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Responding to another question on terrorism, Kanimozhi said, “There is so much to be done in our country, and we want to focus on that. Unfortunately, we are being diverted. We have to deal with terrorism and an absolutely unnecessary war.”
The DMK MP added that India is a safe place and the government will ensure that Kashmir is safe.
“As Indians, we have to make the message clear that India is safe. They may try whatever they want, they cannot derail us. We will ensure that Kashmir remains a safe place,” she said.
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Spain marks the final stop of the Kanimozhi-led all-party delegation’s five-nation tour, after which the team will return to India. The delegation comprises Samajwadi Party MP Rajeev Kumar Rai, BJP’s Brijesh Chowta, AAP’s Ashok Mittal, RJD’s Prem Chand Gupta, and former diplomat Manjeev Singh Puri.
The all-party delegation aims to engage governments, think tanks, and diaspora communities abroad to build global consensus around India’s democratic values, security concerns, and inclusive ethos and zero telerance towards terrorism.
Kanimozhi’s remark, now viral on social media, lays emphasis on unity amidst linguistic diversity and is seen as a direct counter to perceived attempts to impose a singular language identity on the country.
