Chennai, Oct 22 (IANS): Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin has urged Tamil parents to give their children beautiful Tamil names.

Speaking at a function on Tuesday, Udhayanidhi, son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, emphasised that using Tamil names is important to counter the threat of Hindi imposition from certain quarters.

“Parent must give their children beautiful Tamil names,” he said, adding, that the BJP-led Central government is attempting to impose Hindi through the new education policy.

Udhayanidhi also referred to the recent controversy over the omission of the word “Dravida” during the Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu (Tamil state song), calling it an attempt to undermine Tamil and Dravidian culture, as well as a move toward Hindi imposition.

“Someone even tried to change the name of the state from Tamil Nadu but objections were raised across the state and they had to apologise. Now, there are discussions about omitting the word ‘Dravidam’ from the Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu. As long as the last DMK cadre and the last Tamilian are alive, no one can touch Tamil, Tamil Nadu, or Dravidam. Tamil Nadu will never accept Hindi imposition,” Udhayanidhi said.

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin recently stated that the people of Tamil Nadu might consider having 16 children, in response to the Union government’s attempt to reduce the number of Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu based on population strength during delimitation.

Udhayanidhi Stalin has previously sparked controversy by calling for the “eradication” of Sanatana Dharma, comparing it to the “eradication of diseases” like malaria and dengue.

The statement led to several court cases against him. However, Udhayanidhi did not apologise, asserting that, as the grandson of revolutionary leader and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Kalaignar Karunanidhi, he would not give in to threats.