Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to have capitalised well on his visit to Malaysia to woo Tamil Nadu voters. As the assembly elections in the South Indian state are around the corner, PM Modi left no stone unturned to make a poll pitch to Tamils.
Notably, Malaysia has the second-largest Indian-origin community, mostly Tamils, in the world.
Pitch 1: ‘Big fan of MGR’
Blending national/international politics with Indian cinema, PM Modi shared a moment from his Malaysia visit on X, making a special mention of MG Ramachandran, popularly known by his initials MGR — the legendary actor who went on to become the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in 1977.
In what could be seen as an appeal for the Tamil Nadu voters, PM Modi said that his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim, “like several of us in India, is a big fan of MGR!”
PM Modi shared a video glimpse of the luncheon hosted by “my friend, PM Anwar Ibrahim,” where he said, “…one of the songs sung was Naalai Namathe, from a movie starring the great MGR.”
He posted this video on X with captions in three languages — English, Tamil, and Malay.
MGR, the founder of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) party, became a towering Tamil cultural icon and was worshipped by his fans. He died in 1987.
‘Naalai Namadhe’ is one of the actor’s several blockbusters, released in 1975.
Notably, the AIADMK is an ally of the PM Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Tamil Nadu. Relations between the two parties had soured in 2023. But they have now come together to contest the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections in an alliance.
Pitch 2: Shared love for Tamil language
During his visit, PM Modi spoke about the Tamil link between India and Malaysia. He underscored the cultural connections between the two countries, including their “shared love for the Tamil language” — which remains vibrant in Malaysia’s education, media and cultural domains.
He said, “The beautiful and ancient Tamil language, along with the magnificent Tamil culture, plays a major role in bringing India and Malaysia closer together.”
PM Modi also announced the “audio-visual agreement” that will popularise Tamil movies and music. He expressed confidence that this new agreement would further unite the societies through films and music, especially Tamil cinema.
“Shared love for the Tamil language also connects India and Malaysia. In Malaysia, the strong and living presence of Tamil can be seen in education, media and cultural life. I am confident that with today’s Audio Visual Agreement, film and music, especially Tamil films, will bring our hearts closer,” PM Modi said.
Pitch 3: Thiruvalluvar centre, scholarships
Earlier, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, PM Modi said that “members of the Tamil diaspora in Malaysia are serving society in various fields and noted that the Tamil diaspora has been present in Malaysia for many centuries.”
He said that, inspired by this history, India had established the Thiruvalluvar Chair at the University of Malaya and would now set up a Thiruvalluvar centre to further strengthen shared heritage.
PM Modi also announced Thiruvalluvar scholarships to facilitate academic exchanges between India and Malaysia.
Thiruvalluvar, also known as Valluvar, is a celebrated Tamil poet-saint and philosopher.
“The Center and the scholarships will promote the timeless teachings of Thiruvalluvar, enhance scholarly exchanges and strengthen cultural connections, including Indian philosophy and Tamil language, between the two countries,” he said.
PM Modi’s Malaysia visit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a two-day visit to Malaysia from February 7 to 8, 2026, at the invitation of Prime Minister of Malaysia Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim. This was the third visit of PM Modi to Malaysia since 2015.
While the visit was aimed at “further strengthening the India-Malaysia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership established in 2024,” PM Modi seemingly leveraged this opportunity to woo Tamilians ahead of the assembly polls.
Tamil Nadu Assembly Election 2026
The elections to the 234 seats in the Tamil Nadu Assembly will take place this year. The face-off is likely to be between the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), including the BJP and the AIADMK, and the CM MK Stalin’s Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).
The NDA led by AIADMK and the BJP in Tamil Nadu will look to defeat the ruling DMK-Congress alliance.
Actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is a new entrant this poll season and is eyeing the top spot.
With Tamil Nadu heading into Assembly elections this year, the AMMK’s return to the NDA is seen as a significant political realignment in the state’s opposition landscape.
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