Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday hit out at Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin over his criticism of the three-language formula, calling the narrative of “imposition” a “tired attempt” to mask political failures.
The remarks came after Stalin earlier in the day described the three-language formula as a “covert” mechanism to expand Hindi in non-Hindi-speaking regions. He also alleged that the CBSE’s curriculum framework, aligned with the NEP-2020, was a “calculated” and “deeply concerning” attempt at linguistic imposition.
Responding to the criticism, Pradhan said, “The National Education Policy, 2020, is, in fact, a manifesto for linguistic liberation. It prioritises the mother tongue so every Tamil child can excel in their own glorious language.”
“By misrepresenting a flexible policy as compulsory Hindi, you are not defending Tamil; you are creating barriers that deny our youth the opportunity to become multilingual global leaders,” he said in a post on X.
The Union minister asserted that portraying multilingualism as a threat was misplaced, adding that Tamil would be enriched, not weakened, when its speakers become multilingual, confident and linguistically empowered.
Pradhan said the NEP upholds constitutional principles by promoting all languages equally and addresses the limitations of the existing two-language system. He also highlighted its implementation through initiatives such as Samagra Shiksha, teacher training, strengthening District Institutes of Education and Training, and national frameworks like the National Professional Standards for Teachers and the National Mission for Mentoring.
Targeting the Tamil Nadu government, Pradhan said, “Your questions on reciprocity ignored the ground reality. While the Union government actively encourages students across India to embrace Indian languages, your government continues to deprive Tamil students of diverse opportunities for the sake of a divisive vote bank narrative.”
He further alleged that the state government had stalled the establishment of PM-SHRI schools by not signing the required Memorandum of Understanding.
Pradhan said that despite the directions of the Supreme Court of India to establish Navodaya Vidyalayas in Tamil Nadu, the DMK government continues to obstruct their implementation, prioritising "political narratives over educational equity."
“This deliberate resistance is not merely administrative defiance; it is a direct disservice to lakhs of underprivileged students who stand to benefit from quality, merit-based residential education,” he said.
“This has effectively withheld modern infrastructure and teachers from its own students. The Union government remains fully committed to funding and teacher training, but progress is being held back by your dishonest politics,” he added.
Pradhan reiterated that mischaracterising a progressive reform as “linguistic imposition” was creating unnecessary apprehension and confusion.
“The real concern, perhaps, is not the policy’s clarity, but the chief minister's unwillingness to acknowledge it. In doing so, he disregards the constitutional spirit that safeguards India's linguistic diversity.
“Stop using the Hindi imposition argument to hide administrative failures and join the national mission of empowering every Indian language,” Pradhan said.