Assembly Election News 2026 Highlights: Centre finds innovative ways to impose Hindi in Tamil Nadu, says DMK

Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Kolkata on Friday as part of his visit to West Bengal. He was received by West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar, along with other BJP leaders.

In West Bengal, BJP MP Saumitra Khan demanded the immediate arrest of those involved in a murder case, alleging serious lapses in law and order. He also called for the transfer of IAS and IPS officers posted in the state ahead of the elections, claiming that otherwise free and fair polls would not be allowed to take place. Khan questioned who was enabling such actions, raising concerns over the conduct of the upcoming elections.

BJP MLA Vanathi Srinivasan said she is praying for the welfare of the people of India and expressed hope that the upcoming Assembly elections will bring a change of government in the state that respects Hindu sentiments and ensures the safety of women. She added that hundreds of women are joining her as part of the party’s outreach efforts.

Srinivasan further said that BJP leaders have been assigned specific responsibilities across Assembly constituencies, and over the next 40 days they will tour their areas to review election preparedness. She noted that she has been given charge of three constituencies as part of the organisational exercise.

Reacting to the upcoming Union Budget 2026, DMK MP Kanimozhi said that while Tamil Nadu and Kerala are frequently mentioned in the Budget, adequate funds are often not allocated to the states. Speaking about her meeting with Rahul Gandhi, she said the Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam have shared an alliance for many years, adding that the discussion this time also focused on elections, with both party leaderships clear about their political objectives.

Reacting to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to the state, Assam Minister Prasanta Phukan said he was pleased that Dibrugarh has been declared the state’s second capital. He added that plans are underway for new Assembly buildings and residential quarters for MLAs in the city, and that the foundation stone for a stadium has also been laid. Phukan conveyed his regards to Amit Shah and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for the initiatives.

In Tiruchirappalli, farmers from across Tamil Nadu, led by Ayyakannu, state president of the National South Indian Rivers Linking Farmers' Association, staged a unique protest outside the Trichy District Collectorate by eating dead rats. The protesters accused both the Centre and the state government of betraying the farming community, alleging failure to ensure remunerative prices for crops, non-waiver of farm loans taken from cooperative banks, and inadequate measures to store water, including the construction of check dams.

In Dhemaji, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday raised concerns over demographic changes in Assam, alleging that infiltration has increased in several districts over the years. Referring to remarks by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Shah said that while efforts have been made to stop infiltrators, the collective responsibility is to make the entire state free from infiltration. He claimed that seven districts have seen a sharp rise in infiltrator population over two decades of Congress rule. Stressing that enforcement would be handled by the state government, Shah appealed to voters to back the Bharatiya Janata Party in the upcoming elections to strengthen efforts against infiltration.

n Dibrugarh, Assam, reacting to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to the state, Assam Minister Rupesh Gowala said that following an agreement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, tea exports have been made tariff-free in 27 countries. He said the move would provide major relief to the tea industry, which has been facing challenges in Assam and West Bengal, and would significantly benefit tea traders.

Amit Shah, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, will interact with BJP party office bearers and karyakartas of Assam in Guwahati on Thursday. The interaction is scheduled to take place at around 4:15 pm and is expect

On DMK Leader Kanimozhi slamming Hindi sign at a railway station in Tamil Nadu, party spokesperson, Saravanan Annadurai said, "They (Centre) keep finding innovative ways to impose Hindi in the state of Tamil Nadu. The kind of prominence given to Hindi everywhere amounts to an imposition. On one hand, the Prime Minister says that regional languages are given importance, but this is how other languages are diminished. As rightly pointed out by our Deputy Chief Minister, many languages have already vanished". 

Amit Shah continued his attack on Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of showing injustice to people of North-East.  

"On 26th January, during the At-Home programme, the President put up North-East 'gamchas' for everyone... all the other people who came put on North-East 'gamchas', except one person, whose name is Rahul Gandhi. What kind of enmity does he have? Why does he do so much injustice to our North-East people? Rahul Gandhi can do whatever he wants to do. As long as the BJP is in politics, no one can shake the culture of the North-East," he said. 

"Today is Mahatma Gandhi's death anniversary, and I pay my respects to him. Today, here, the groundbreaking and inauguration of 5 projects costing approximately Rs 825 crores has taken place. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the Chief Minister of Assam. He had announced in 2025 that we would make Assam inclusive, and he had declared the decision to make Dibrugarh the second capital of Assam.

"We have seen Congress governments where many announcements remained just announcements. But Himanta Biswa Sarma made the announcement, and today the foundation stone of Assam's second legislative assembly complex on 250 acres has been laid... Today, the residents of Dibrugarh across the whole of India will be considered residents of the capital of Assam," Amit Shah said.

"I ask Rahul Gandhi what Congress has given to Assam except guns, bullets, conflicts and deaths," Amit Shah said at Dibrugarh rally. 

Amit Shah, speaking in Dibrugarh, said the Assam government has ensured “equal rights and all-round development for all communities” and that “the Congress did nothing for Assam’s development, while the BJP is committed to the state’s progress.”

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor praised Rahul Gandhi while speaking to regional media, describing him as a leader with a clear political stand who consistently opposes communalism. Tharoor said he would be at the forefront in leading the Congress in the elections and asserted that no one has the right to oppose the party’s official stand.

"Rahul Gandhi is a leader with a clear political stand. He is a leader who opposes communalism. I will be in the forefront leading the Congress in the elections," he said. 

Responding to speculation about leaving the party, Tharoor dismissed the rumours, saying he had been hearing such stories for 17 years. He said he moves forward with courtesy and love, does not air opinions contrary to the party line, and only expresses personal views in specific contexts, particularly on development issues where he acknowledges good work. “Why is this question asked only to me?” he asked, reiterating that he will remain firmly with the Congress.

Trinamool Congress on Thursday took a fresh swipe at the Election Commission and the BJP government, accusing them of colluding to “make voters vanish” from electoral rolls. In a satirical post on X, the party invoked legendary magician PC Sorcar, quipping that while the nation knows Sorcar, it is now being introduced to “EC Sarkar,” which it claimed is performing tricks at the “SIR Circus” to disenfranchise voters ahead of elections. 

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for a series of development projects worth Rs 1,715 crore in Assam on Friday. The visit includes public engagements and political meetings across Dibrugarh, Dhemaji and Guwahati.

Shah arrived in Dibrugarh around midnight on Thursday and was received by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, members of the state cabinet and senior officials. This marks Shah’s second visit to Assam since December 29, as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party gears up to retain power for a third consecutive term in the upcoming Assembly elections.

His first engagement in Dibrugarh will be the inauguration of the Rs 284-crore second MLA complex and hostel, part of efforts to develop the district as a second administrative hub, a senior official said. He will also inaugurate the first phase of a modern multi-disciplinary sports complex built at a cost of Rs 238 crore and lay the foundation stone for its Rs 209-crore second phase.

The Home Minister is also slated to lay the foundation stone for a Rs 292-crore Wildlife Health and Research Centre and launch a Rs 692-crore project for the restoration and rejuvenation of wetlands across the state. He will address a public rally in Dibrugarh, with all programmes scheduled at the Khanikar Parade Ground.

Citing a recent incident of sexual assault on a woman inside a college campus and other similar cases, AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister M K Stalin, branding him a “puppet Chief Minister” who, he alleged, is merely watching as incidents of brutal sexual crimes rise across Tamil Nadu. He described the situation as “utterly shameful”.

DMK MP Kanimozhi has flagged what she called the continued “imposition” of Hindi on public signage, sharing a photo on X that showed the name board at Chennai’s Park Town suburban railway station altered from English to Hindi.

“It started in Kallakudi and continues to Chennai Park. They are not going to stop imposing it, and we are not going to stop opposing it,” she wrote. Park Town railway station is located close to MGR Central railway station, one of the city’s busiest transport hubs.

The West Bengal government has written to the Election Commission, seeking changes in the list of central observers, while proposing alternative names for nine of the 15 IAS officers selected by the poll panel, a senior official said. Officers for whom replacements have been suggested include the state’s Home Secretary.

“The state government has forwarded alternative names in place of nine IAS officers. The Election Commission will examine the proposal and take a final call,” top official told news agency PTI.

The Election Commission had recently published a list of 25 senior officials from West Bengal for deployment as central observers for the upcoming assembly election. 
 

Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian on Tuesday hit back at AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami over his remarks alleging that women’s safety in the state was under threat, asserting that the law and order situation was far worse during the previous AIADMK regime.

Responding to Palaniswami’s claims, Subramanian said both of them were well aware of the situation when EPS was chief minister. “When EPS was in power, at least 100 such incidents occurred every day. If one were to list what happened during those four years, a 100-page book would have to be published for each day,” he said.

The minister maintained that law and order was now being protected “in a major way” and added that the police were taking strong action in cases related to personal enmity and other crimes.

Asked about reports that a 22-year-old woman had been subjected to sexual assault, Subramanian said he was not aware of the incident and would respond after obtaining the details.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who welcomed Amit Shah at the Dibrugarh airport, said the Union Home Minister's visit will mark key milestones across Upper Assam, spanning development, governance, and cultural celebration.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has arrived in Assam, where he will review preparations for the upcoming Assembly elections, among other tasks. 

During his visit, he will lay the foundation stone for the second complex of the Assam Assembly, the MLA Hostel, and the Institute of Wildlife Health and Research in Dibrugarh. The Minister will also inaugurate the first phase of an ultra-modern stadium with a seating capacity of 35,000 in Dibrugarh and lay the foundation stone for its second phase.

Later in the day, he will hold discussions with party members at the Bharatiya Janata Party state headquarters in Guwahati.

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