From education to economy: Key takeaways from THE WEEK Tamil Nadu Leadership Summit

CHENNAI

VISIONARY LEADERS ARE like time travellers. They borrow from tomorrow to guide today. For Chief Minister M.K. Stalin—a key force behind Tamil Nadu becoming one of India’s leading state economies—being a visionary is not about personal ambition.

Inaugurating the Tamil Nadu Leadership Summit organised by THE WEEK at Taj Coromandel in Chennai on March 2, Stalin said his vision was inseparable from the aspirations of the state and its people. Heading into an election season with confidence, Stalin said that his government had driven a transformation in social infrastructure and human development through its focus on education, health care and women’s welfare. Tamil Nadu, said Stalin, was steadily progressing towards a one-trillion-dollar economy by expanding industrial hubs and spreading high-tech jobs beyond major cities.

“We are not only ahead in growth, but also on the Human Development Index, which is our real pride,” Stalin said before heading to Nandambakkam to inaugurate a Rs249 crore fintech tower.

For such a development model to endure, leaders across sectors must inspire the next generation. THE WEEK summit served as a platform to do so, bringing together political leaders, policymakers, thinkers and innovators to exchange ideas, map the future and debate challenges.

Addressing a predominantly Gen Z audience during a panel discussion, actor-filmmaker and Rajya Sabha member Kamal Haasan spoke about the need for an education system that prioritises a person’s life goals while equipping them with relevant skills. “I still call myself a student—not out of humility, but necessity,” he said. “I must keep learning and building skills. I studied in many places; the difference was that those ‘schools’ did not charge fees. They even supported my living while teaching me.”

State School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, also on the panel, acknowledged that reform cannot happen overnight, but said the government had taken significant steps to align education with contemporary needs. “Testing skills and comprehension will matter more in the future. Our education policy is moving towards this understanding-based approach,” he said, citing initiatives such as TN Spark that promote learning suited for an AI-driven era.

Periyar E.V. Ramasamy’s anti-caste and self-respect ideals remain central to the Dravidian model of development championed by the Stalin government. Chennai South MP Thamizhachi Thangapandian noted that measures such as equal property rights were envisioned decades ago and later translated into law. Current welfare schemes for women, she argued, were not mere “freebies” but extensions of that social justice legacy aimed at structural transformation.

The summit also featured discussions that warned of growing centralisation, linguistic and cultural impositions, and challenges to Indian federalism.

Rajya Sabha member and former Union finance minister P. Chidambaram criticised the BJP’s “double-engine government” narrative, calling it antithetical to federalism and the democratic will of the states. “Those ruling in Delhi seem to believe that even if there are two engines, there must be only one engineer,” he said. “I reject that.”

Former chief economic adviser Arvind Subramanian said India’s federal structure was under increasing strain, driven not only by politics but also by the widening economic divergence between states. The cooperative federalism envisioned at independence, he said, was now being tested. “From an amicable union, we risk moving towards a distrustful one,” he said.

During a conversation with Riyad Mathew, Chief Associate Editor and Director of THE WEEK, Tamil Nadu IT Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan revealed that during his time in the GST Council, representatives from some NDA-ruled states privately admitted they could not openly speak in their state’s interest because of the “double-engine” dynamic. He said that public funds were being “weaponised”, arguing that BJP-ruled states often received greater financial support, “but at the cost of independent thinking”.

Rajya Sabha member John Brittas, from Kerala, echoed concerns over centralisation, saying that MPs from Kerala and Tamil Nadu had developed a stronger sense of collaboration because “Damocles’s sword hangs over us in the form of the proposed delimitation”.

Mathew Kuzhalnadan, MLA from Kerala’s Muvattupuzha, noted that although the Constitution mandates delimitation based on population, it had been deferred since the 1970s to preserve federal balance. Penalising southern states for successful population control and development, he warned, would be unjust.

Language politics also took centre stage. Lok Sabha member Kanimozhi Karunanidhi argued that attempts to impose a third language risked eroding history, culture and identity. She pointed to disparities in Central funding allocations for Sanskrit compared with Tamil, for instance. At the same time, she noted that these debates had revived interest among young people in Tamil identity and leaders such as Periyar.

Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, in a combative address, placed the state’s youth at the heart of the Dravidian movement’s future. In a pointed remark, he noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had addressed a recent event in Tamil Nadu in English despite often speaking Hindi elsewhere. “That is Tamil Nadu’s impact,” he said. “The DMK is not afraid of ED or Modi... We belong to the Dravidian stock... and we will stand strong. We will resist. We will never surrender.”

Beyond politics, the summit also had sessions on topics ranging from artificial intelligence to culture. A key discussion brought together Cecil Sundar, who heads Data and AI at Microsoft, and Sasikumar Gendham, president of the Electronic Industries Association of India. Sundar noted that the widespread availability of advanced AI models had created a rare opportunity for India to build innovative products and scale them globally.

The summit also hosted sessions on public health advances in Tamil Nadu, featuring speakers such as Dr Ilankumaran Kaliamoorthy, CEO of Apollo Hospitals, Chennai; Rajya Sabha member Dr Kanimozhi NVN Somu; and Dr Sunil Chandy, former director of CMC Vellore and medical director, ITC Healthcare.