India, March 1 -- Tamil Nadu governor RN Ravi on Friday waded into a raging controversy over language as he criticised the state's two-language policy and alleged that it deprived young people in the southern districts of jobs and opportunities, triggering a sharp response from the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.

At a second event, the governor -- who has been locked in an escalating conflict with the elected government since he was appointed on September 9, 2021 -- said he was concerned about "internal and external forces" that he believed are attempting to "divide and destroy" the country through "lies and "hatred in the name of language.

The governor, currently touring the districts of Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli, referred to the s...