India, March 15 -- Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday backed the central government amid the ongoing row over Hindi language imposition, saying that Tamil is a "sweet language" and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants every language to get its "due respect".

Speaking at an event in Chennai's Sriperumbudur, Vaishnaw described Tamil as one of the assets of the nation as well as the world.

"Let's take joy in that and let's enjoy all the Indian languages. And that is the spirit with which our Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) is working today making sure that every Indian language gets its big place under the Sun and make sure they get the respect which is due to them, make sure that they get the exposure," he added.

He also cited...