Stalin offers to meet education expenses of PhD scholar if Vijay govt fails to release funds

Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president M.K. Stalin. File | Photo Credit: The Hindu DMK president M.K. Stalin on Thursday (September 17, 2026) said Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay should openly declare that the State government could not release funds for PhD scholar Bharathidasan’s Annal Ambedkar Overseas Higher Education Scholarship, and then the DMK and the people of Tamil Nadu would meet his educational expenses.Mr. Stalin’s reaction came after Mr. Bharathidasan, a student of National University of Malaysia, in a video posted on social media claimed what had befallen Rohith Vemula (a research scholar) has happened to him. “The TVK government should not earn a bad name even though the party is politically opposed to us,” Mr. Stalin said.Mr. Bharathidasan said he was facing elimination from the university as he had not paid the fee. “There is no progress in my research in the last six month for lack of funds,” he said and accused Social Welfare Minister Vanni Arasu of “suppressing him” by using his power. Published - September 17, 2026 09:06 pm IST