TIRUCHY: Railway officials on Wednesday evening removed the Tamil transliteration of Hindi phrase (Kartavya Dwar-The Gateway of Duty) from the newly-inaugurated arch at divisional railway manager (DRM) office at Tiruchy railway junction following criticism from Chief Minister MK Stalin, opposition parties and other political leaders.
A senior official from the Tiruchy Railway Division told TNIE that the Hindi phrase would be replaced with an apt Tamil phrase. "We strongly respect the sentiments of Tamil people. Now, all the letters have been removed from the arch. Once the new letters get ready, that will be placed properly," he said.
The arch was constructed as part of the redevelopment and beautification of railway stations. DRM Balak Ram Negi inaugurated it on Tuesday. The name, Kartavya Dwar , placed at the top portion in Tamil, Hindi and English triggered a controversy as the Hindi phrase was merely transliterated.
Chief Minister MK Stalin in a post X stated that the BJP-led union government was going overboard with its Hindi imposition rage. "The BJP-led union government has to face the heat of Tamils, if the Hindi word is not replaced with an apt Tamil word," he stated.
Madurai MP Su Venkatesan posted a message stating that 'the sole duty of the union government is to impose Hindi.' TNCC president K Selvaperunthagai called it a "direct insult to the unique identity of the state".
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami called for the replacement of the phrase. In his X message, Palaniswami stated "The PM often shares the uniqueness of Tamil language to world leaders whenever he makes overseas tours. When the union government has been giving due recognition to ancient Tamil language, such incidents should be averted."
BJP leader Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan, in her X post, said the railway minister should instruct authorities to properly translate the Hindi phrase and place the board in Tamil.
Several DMK functionaries staged a protest in front of DRM office and blackened the Hindi words on the arch wall.