New Delhi: In election-bound Haryana, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar scored a point Thursday. His interview to a Tamil TV channel has gone viral on social media, with Khattar earning praise for his proficiency in the rich language of South India.
While the interviewer on the Thanthi TV show was seen asking his questions in English, Khattar confidently answered them in fluent Tamil, though with an accent.
Khattar has his ethnic roots in Punjab.
As the interview began, the Haryana CM quoted Thirukkural, a classic collection of Tamil couplets. He recited the first couplet. Translated, it means: “As the letter A is the first of all letters, the eternal God is first in the world.”
This was the only time Khattar was seen reading out from a written note. He spoke looking straight into the camera otherwise during the entire interview.
Haryana Chief Minister Shri @mlkhattar’s interview to Thanthi TV, in Tamil! Please watch. pic.twitter.com/sDONvF0kvL
— BJP (@BJP4India) October 17, 2019
Asked to predict who would win the Haryana assembly elections, Khattar said: “Meendum thamarai malarum (lotus will bloom again)”.
Talking about his plans for the welfare of the Tamil population in Haryana, Khattar said: “Tamil people in Haryana are Haryanvis. They are my people.”
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Khattar’s Tamil connection
Speaking about his Tamil connection and his fluency in the language, he said in Tamil: “I have lived in Tamil Nadu. I have a little knowledge of the Tamil language. Tamilians are very hardworking people. They have much respect for me.”
Khattar said he had been to Tamil Nadu several times, and even cleared his school certificate course in the Tamil language.
Khattar said ‘upma’ and ‘uthappam’ are his favourite food in Tamil cuisine.
About the Tamilians living in Haryana, the CM said: “Tamil people live in various parts of Haryana. Chandigarh Tamil Sangam has been doing a brilliant public service.”
Speaking about late Tamil Nadu chief ministers and Dravidian stalwarts Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa, he said: “Both have done well in certain areas. I cannot tell who is better. But all that they have done was in the interest of Tamil Nadu.”
Switching to English, Khattar added: “I would like to appeal to the people of Haryana and Tamil Nadu that you must vote for democracy and to strengthen the democracy of the state and the country. It is our duty to vote.”
Concluding the interaction, the CM said, “Vantharai vaazha vaipathu Tamil Nadu mattum alla, Harayanavum thaan (it’s not just Tamil Nadu that nurtures people who come to the state in search of livelihood, Haryana does that too).
Not the first time
This is not the first time that Khattar has displayed his proficiency in Tamil. Earlier this year, during Pongal festivities in February, Khattar surprised everyone with his first public speech in Tamil. The CM had then said he learnt the language 40 years ago.
At that time, many had pointed out Haryana’s affinity towards South Indian languages.
In a report in The Indian Express, several veteran politicians and bureaucrats said former CM Bansi Lal wanted Haryana students to learn at least two Indian languages — Hindi from the North and Telugu from South.
Also read: Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar scripts a political turnaround story Congress can learn from
He is fooling as he is seen reading from tab. I grew up in Delhi and spent better part of my life over there in a Tamil School having about 8 branches across Delhi. We had options to go for Tamil, Hindi and Sanskrit. Many of us opted for Hindi or Sanskrit. I can speak Hindi like any others Delhi, some times they don’t think I am Tamilian. The thirukural lines has been murdered
Fool, in Haryana tamil was second Indian language. You forget this point.
silly dude nakkuraj
Well said Nagarakanji. Rahulji and Priyankaji speak Tamil in home which the media is hiding. Media is also hiding the fact that Stalin (a nice Tamil name) wrote many treatises in Tamil and and his appa Karunanidhiji wrote thirukural. Infact Soniaji is so we’ll versed in Tamil and she has set up Tamil schools all over Italy. Sanghis oppose Tamil and defame it like Modi did in Houston, UN and even in Mahabalipyram. Modi instead of wearing pants and shirt like Tamilians wore lingo like Hindi people
Media is hiding the fact that Rahulji, Priyankaji speak Tamil in home to each other and not in Italian as media wants us to believe. A sanghi like Khattar pretending to speak in Tamil will not be accepted by people in srilanka ,Malaysia , Mauritius and other places where Tamil is primary language.