Accusing the DMK of playing “cheap politics” over the brown paper covers used to dispense medicines to patients, Health Minister K.G. Arunraj on Wednesday said that TVK was the only organisation committed to following former Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai’s two-language policy in letter and spirit and would never compromise on it.
On Tuesday, members of the DMK, including former Minister T.R.B. Rajaa, posted photographs of the pill covers distributed to patients in the government medical colleges in Karur and Coimbatore, which carried dosage instructions in Tamil, English, and Hindi, on social media.
Condemning this, the Health Minister, in a statement, said that DMK’s fake drama was exposed. He said at the Karur government medical college hospital, the covers given to patients were usually obtained from the Central Prison, and “morning/afternoon/night” was stamped on them only in Tamil.
In December 2025, there was a shortage of covers supplied from the Central Prison. Following this, an emergency order was issued on December 31 during the DMK regime to print four lakh covers through the Erode district printing cooperative society. Those covers had come into circulation among the people in January 2026 when the DMK was in power. Similarly, in Coimbatore, the design was officially approved and printed through the Chinthamani Cooperative Society three years ago.
Dr. Arunraj said that as soon as the issue came to the government’s attention, the use of those medicine covers was immediately stopped at both Karur and Coimbatore hospitals. In Karur, it was ensured that the supply from Central Prison was restored and only Tamil was used, while in Coimbatore, steps were taken up to immediately print covers in Tamil and English.
“What kind of politics is it to now shift the blame onto the ruling party after having allowed Hindi during their own tenure, creating the template for it and putting it into circulation among patients,” he questioned the DMK.
Published – October 08, 2026 12:35 am IST
