Chennai: Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin asserted that Tamil possesses the unique strength to function independently without the support or influence of other languages.

Speaking at the historic Victoria Public Hall during the launch of the fourth volume of the Tamil-Indo-European Root Words Comparative Dictionary, he addressed questions on the state's opposition to Hindi.

“Many ask why Tamil Nadu alone opposes Hindi when other states have accepted it. My only answer is that Tamil has the inherent power to function individually without the help or mixture of other tongues,” he said.

He noted that February 21 marks the 1940 withdrawal of compulsory Hindi in schools following the first anti-Hindi agitation led by Periyar E V Ramasamy in 1937-38, recalling that M Karunanidhi had taken part in the protest at age 14.

Udhayanidhi credited the DMK government for upholding the two-language policy, securing classical language status for Tamil and renaming the state as Tamil Nadu.

The 12-volume dictionary project, undertaken by the Tamil Nadu Textbook and Educational Services Corporation in collaboration with Oxford University Press, was announced in the 2022-23 Budget with an allocation of Rs 8 crore. The fourth volume was received by Professor Klaus Peter Sauer of the University of Oslo on International Mother Language Day.