CHENNAI: DMK organising secretary RS Bharathi criticised AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, accusing him of making baseless allegations against the state government to shield the union government, which has failed to release Rs 617 crore meant for private schools in Tamil Nadu under the Right to Education (RTE) Act.
In a statement, Bharathi alleged that the union government is displeased with Tamil Nadu’s educational achievements such as high gross enrolment ratio (GER) in higher education and the rising pass percentage among SC/ST students in school public exams.
He claimed this irritation is reflected in the refusal to release Rs 2,152 crore under Samagra Shiksha scheme, because the state has not yielded to the centre’s pressure to implement the three-language formula.
Bharathi also added that the union government, in an apparent attempt to undermine the state and jeopardise the educational aspirations of Tamil Nadu’s students, has been deliberately delaying the release of Rs 617 crore owed to private schools under RTE, despite the state’s chief secretary writing a letter in this regard.
Bharathi accused Planiswami of lacking the courage to question the union government, and choosing to direct his criticism at the state government. “The statement made by Palaniswami is based on misinformation circulated through WhatsApp promoted by the BJP,” Bharathi alleged.