Wooing Tamil Nadu, the BJP way: Kashi schools to teach Tamil, UP students to take learning tours to TN

Ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, the BJP-led Centre is going all out to woo the state, including bolstering “pride in Tamil identity.” Apart from promoting awareness about Tamil heritage and literature, the fourth edition of the Kashi Tamil Sangamam — which aims to celebrate civilisational bonds between Tamil Nadu and Kashi — will see Tamil being taught in Varanasi schools and Tamil-learning study tours arranged for students from Uttar Pradesh. While Tamil is said to be offered in UP under the three-language formula in the new education policy, the exact number of schools and students opting for it is not yet clear.

According to the Centre, 50 Hindi-speaking Tamil teachers will teach the language to school students in Kashi under the campaign “Tamil Karkalam,” which broadly means “let’s learn Tamil.” In addition, 300 college students from Kashi will travel to designated institutions in Tamil Nadu for a 15-day Tamil learning programme.

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The BJP has historically struggled for acceptance in Tamil Nadu due to a combination of reasons, including strong local Dravidian ideology and linguistic identity issues—particularly opposition to the perceived imposition of Hindi. Observers say the BJP’s limited acceptance in the state is significantly linked to the Hindi language issue, which is deeply intertwined with Tamil Nadu’s strong linguistic identity and cultural pride. The saffron party is often viewed as promoting a “Hindi–Hindu” ideology that clashes with the state’s Dravidian political identity.

Tamil, one of the oldest living languages in the world, occupies a central place in Tamil Nadu’s politics, culture, and identity. Many people view learning Hindi as unnecessary and a threat to the preservation of the Tamil language and culture.

According to officials, Kashi Tamil Sangamam 4.0 reaffirms the Centre’s commitment to strengthening national unity through cultural exchange, linguistic enrichment, and knowledge-sharing. “By bringing diverse communities together, the programme embodies the living essence of India’s civilisational continuity and cultural oneness,” they said.

Since its inception in 2022, the annual Sangamam has been part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attempt to honour the civilisational, cultural, linguistic, and people-to-people linkages between the two regions, reflecting the spirit of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat, the officials added.

The theme for 2025 is “Learn Tamil – Tamil Karkalam.”