M K Stalin Offers to Fund Dalit PhD Scholar's Studies Amid Tamil Nadu Scholarship Row

What Stalin said

On 17 September 2026, DMK president M K Stalin urged Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay to state publicly if the Tamil Nadu government cannot release the overseas scholarship for PhD scholar Bharathidasan Raman, adding that the DMK and people of the state would then cover his expenses (The Hindu). He stressed that the TVK administration should not gain a negative reputation merely because it opposes his party.

Scholar’s allegations

Bharathidasan, a Dalit student from Usilampatti studying Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine at the National University of Malaysia, said in a video posted on 17 September that the delay in scholarship disbursement has stalled his research for about six months and puts him at risk of expulsion for unpaid fees (The News Minute). He claimed he is being singled out by Social Justice Minister Vanni Arasu and compared his plight to that of Rohith Vemula, noting that this comparison is his own characterisation.

Government’s position

The Tamil Nadu Social Justice Department said it has provided Rs 36 lakh for the first year and released Rs 12 lakh for the second year of the Annal Ambedkar Overseas Higher Education Scholarship, but flagged expenditure documents worth Rs 8,17,962 as unacceptable and asked for clarification on 20 August (The News Minute). Bharathidasan counters that the Rs 36 lakh figure refers only to first‑year assistance and that he had submitted bills for Rs 37 lakh on 8 June, arguing that the current need is for research‑related consumables.

Political fallout

Opposition leaders Udhayanidhi Stalin and CPI(M) state secretary Shanmugam criticised the government’s handling, urging Chief Minister Vijay to intervene so the remaining Rs 19.5 lakh reaches the scholar. For the DMK, Stalin’s offer frames the party as a defender of Dalit students’ welfare while pressing the TVK administration to clarify its stance.

As of the latest reports on 18 September 2026, no confirmation had been given that the pending second‑year funds had been released. Google Trends data observed on that date showed a sharp rise in searches for "m k stalin", reflecting public interest rather than verifying any claim.