Girls in North India asked to stay home, give birth: DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran sparks row

CHENNAI: DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran sparked debate on Tuesday by contrasting girls’ education in Tamil Nadu with northern states. Speaking at Quaid-E-Millath Government College for Women, he said that in northern states, girls are often expected to stay at home and do household work, while Tamil Nadu encourages girls to study and pursue careers.

Its Tamil Nadu, the best state in India, and MK Stalin is the best chief minister among Indian states. This is a Dravidian model government, and it was our Periyar who ignited Dravidianism in our state. He emphasised that girls should study, and our CM is working based on his principles, Maran said.

Our girl students should be proud, and we are proud of them. Thats why we want girls children to study. In North Indian states, they ask girl children not to go to a job, ask them to stay inside their house and do housework holds but we wanted our girl children to study, he added.

The state’s deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin distributed laptops to students under the Ulagam Ungal Kaiyil scheme.

He praised the students for their social responsibility and highlighted the college’s long history and contributions to girls’ education.

Today, I am happy to distribute laptops to all of you students. I wish you a very Happy New Year and Pongal. It is often said that once girls complete their education, they contribute significantly to society. We are proud of all our girl students. This educational institute has a rich history. In 1974, Karunanidhi named this college Quaid-E-Millath Government College for Women, opened new buildings, and provided extensive infrastructure, Stalin said.

A total of 900 final-year students received laptops. The government has allocated Rs 2.5 crore for the initiative.

Recently, Rs 2.5 crore was allocated to this college, and today I have the privilege of distributing laptops to all of you. A total of 900 final-year students will receive laptops today. According to our chief minister, a total of 10 lakh students are expected to receive laptops this year. Previously, laptops were distributed in schools, but the scheme was stopped in 2019. Our CM wanted to extend this to college students, ensuring that technology and quality are not compromised, he said.

Stalin also emphasised the importance of using the laptops for education rather than social media.

Periyar once said that vessels should be taken away from girls and books should be given instead. Today, our CM is not only giving laptops to girl students but is emphasising the importance of their education. Girls need to be educated, and our government is committed to this cause. I urge you to use these laptops primarily for your studies, not just for YouTube, Reels, or social media. Everything provided to girl children should be used effectively. My wish for you is that you achieve even more than men in your fields of endeavour, he said.

The remarks drew strong criticism from the BJP.

Narayanan Thirupathy, the party’s spokesperson in Tamil Nadu, said, Once again, Dayanidhi Maran has abused north Indian people. I feel very bad about how these people are allowed to do this, although this is regular from DMK. I dont think Dayanidhi Maran has common sense.

BJP leader Narayanan Thirupathy strongly condemned DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran over his remarks comparing womens empowerment in Tamil Nadu with northern states, saying the statement was offensive and showed a lack of common sense.

Thirupathy demanded that Maran apologise to the people of India, particularly Hindi-speaking communities.

Speaking to ANI, Thirupathy said, I dont think Dayanidhi Maran has any common sense. So this is the problem. I strongly condemn Dayanidhi Maran. He has to apologise to the people of India, particularly the Hindi-speaking people, whom he says are uneducated and uncivilised.

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