Hashtag battle in Tamil Nadu: DMK vs BJP

The ongoing rift between Tamil Nadu's DMK government and the BJP-led Centre escalated into a social media showdown. DMK leader and Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin, in a speech on February 18, accused the Centre of withholding funds meant for states. He warned that if demands weren't met, the slogan would shift from "Go Back Modi" to "Get Out Modi."

This sparked a social media war, with DMK supporters launching the hashtag #GetOutModi. In response, BJP Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai challenged Udhayanidhi to repeat his words and urged BJP supporters to counter with #GetOutStalin. Senior BJP leaders, including BL Santhosh, joined in, and the campaign amassed over a million mentions by Friday evening.

At the heart of the dispute is the Centre's delay in releasing ₹2,400 crore under the 'Samagra Shiksha' scheme, meant for school education. The BJP, in return, is pushing for Tamil Nadu to adopt the three-language policy (Tamil, English, Hindi) under the New Education Policy (NEP). Hindi has long been a contentious issue in the state. With assembly elections approaching next year, the battle between DMK and BJP is expected to intensify both online and offline.