CHENNAI: CHIEF Minister MK Stalin on Monday posed a series of questions to the union government on the National Education Policy and three-language policy, citing Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ assurance that Hindi will not be imposed in his state.
Amid stiff opposition against alleged imposition of Hindi as a third language in schools as third language in Maharashtra, Fadnavis asserted that Marathi would remain the only compulsory language.
Contending that BJP’s Fadnavis has now claimed that only Marathi is compulsory after massive backlash, Stalin, in a post on X, said, “This is a clear manifestation of his trepidation over the widespread public condemnation against imposition of Hindi on non-Hindi speaking states.”
Stalin further said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan should clarify whether the union government officially endorses Fadnavis’ position that “no language other than Marathi is compulsory in Maharashtra as a third language under the National Education Policy.”
“If so, will the union government issue a clear directive to all states affirming that the NEP does not require the compulsory teaching of a third language,” Stalin asked.
He also asked whether the union government would release the `2,152 crore funds for Tamil Nadu that it unjustly withheld “on the premise that the state must subscribe to the teaching of a mandatory third language.”