The mostly low-key and non-controversial CEO of Google, Sundar Pichai, made the rounds in Tamil Nadu's heated three-language policy debate after state IT Minister P.T.R. Palanivel Thiagarajan questioned whether knowing Hindi was essential for success. Pichai, who studied in Chennai in the 1980s, confirmed he had learned Hindi in school but rarely spoke it. His statement triggered reactions from BJP leaders, who countered the DMK minister's claims by stating that private schools in Tamil Nadu had a three-language policy even back then. 

The debate stems from Tamil Nadu's long-standing opposition to the three-language formula, favoring a two-language policy with only Tamil and English in state-run schools. Supporters of the policy argue that many successful professionals from Tamil Nadu, including Pichai, studied without Hindi and still excelled globally. Meanwhile, proponents of the three-language system argue that learning an additional language provides broader opportunities.

A viral video of Pichai allegedly speaking fluent Hindi was later debunked as fake. BJP Tamil Nadu chief K. Annamalai used the controversy to challenge the DMK's stance, emphasizing that matriculation schools in Tamil Nadu had long implemented a third-language system. The incident has reignited discussions on language policies in education, highlighting broader debates over linguistic identity, accessibility, and practicality in a multilingual country like India.