Tamil Nadu Minister says only Tamil and English are used in the state

Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar, on Friday, said that only two languages are used in Tamil Nadu. He added that only Tamil and English are the two official languages that are used in the state and nothing should be imposed upon people of the state. This statement from Tamil Nadu Minister comes after Home Minister Amit Shah's Hindi Diwas speech where he pitched for Hindi to be imposed as a national language.

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"We have only two languages. Nobody should impose any language and everybody is everybody is free to learn every language they want. Our stand is clear that our first language is Tamil and second language is English. If BJP leaders talk about the third language, it is only their party's stand," Jaykumar said while addressing the reporters after planting saplings with the students of Lady Willingdon Higher Secondary school as a part of an awareness campaign.

"We started an initiative to plant 10 thousand plant saplings in Chennai. Going forward, we have plans to plant one and a half lakh saplings in and around the city," he said.

Talking about the poster culture in the state, Jayakumar said: "When an international event occurs in our state, it is part of Tamil culture to welcome others. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are going to come to Mahabalipuram."

"We are bound by the law so we approached the court. Madras High Court has given directions to erect the banners. We will follow court directions for sure in erecting banners," he added.

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Tamilnadu government prepares for Modi-Xi meeting

he Madras High Court (MHC), on Thursday, had asked the government to follow all the rules while erecting the banners for the Modi-Xi Jinping meeting, says no inconvenience should be caused for the public. Preparations are underway for the bilateral meetings between Indian PM Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping which is scheduled to happen at Mahabalipuram or Mamallapuram, a historical town which is around 60 km from Chennai. The state government in association with the central teams and the Chinese officials are making all the arrangements for the smooth meeting for 3 days, starting from 11th to 13th of this month.

READ | Kamal Haasan urges PM Modi to end "haphazard" banner culture

READ | Madras HC allows govt to erect 14 Modi-Jinping banners ahead of visit