Girls in Tamil Nadu encouraged to study, says Dayanidhi Maran

Senior DMK leader Dayanidhi Maran said Tamil Nadu encourages girls to study and work under the Dravidian Model of governance, unlike northern India. He said women’s progress and an educated workforce make Chennai attractive to global companies

Chennai: Senior DMK leader Dayanidhi Maran on Wednesday said girls in Tamil Nadu are encouraged to study, while their counterparts in northern India are often asked to stay at home, remain in the kitchen and bear children.

Participating in a function presided over by Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin here, Maran said the government led by Chief Minister M K Stalin follows the “Dravidian Model” of governance, guided by the principle of “everything for everyone” (ellarukum ellam).

He said boys and girls in Tamil Nadu are expected to carry the laptops distributed by the government and confidently attend interviews or pursue higher education, including postgraduate studies.

“In Tamil Nadu, we tell women to study. But what is said in North India? They say girls should not go to work, should stay at home, remain in the kitchen and bear children. This is what they say,” the DMK MP said.

“This is Tamil Nadu. This is Dravida Nadu. It is the land of (late DMK patriarch) M Karunanidhi, (former chief minister) C N Annadurai and Chief Minister M K Stalin. In this soil, women’s progress is the progress of Tamil Nadu,” he said.

Maran said global companies choose Chennai because the workforce here is educated not only in Tamil but also in English.