Tamil inscriptions prove India's democratic roots, says Modi

New Delhi, April 13

PM Narendra Modi on Thursday hailed the Tamil language as the oldest in the world and said Tamil inscriptions offered proof that democratic values existed in India hundreds of years ago.

“India is the oldest democracy in the world. India is the mother of democracy. Several historical references prove this. One such reference is found in Tamil Nadu’s Uthiramerur, where an inscription going back 1,200 years details the existence of democratic values in those times. It speaks of a local constitution for the gram sabha, and lists procedures for running the assembly, electing its members and even disqualifying them,” PM Modi said while addressing a gathering at the residence of Minister of State L Murugan on the occasion of the Tamil New Year, Puthandu.

Greeting Tamilians across the world on the occasion, the PM said Tamilians were among his voters in Gujarat’s Maninagar Assembly segment. “They would always elect me the MLA and also the CM,” he said to a loud applause, adding that every Indian was proud of the Tamil language.