CHENNAI: Cutting across political divide, all major parties in Tamil Nadu slammed Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday for saying that Tamil Nadu would not be provided funds under Samagra Shiksha Abhiyaan till it accepts the National Education Policy (NEP) and the three-language formula.
Tagging a video clip of Pradhan speaking to reporters in Varanasi on February 15, Chief Minister M K Stalin accused Pradhan of “blackmail” and challenged him to show the constitutional provision that mandates compliance with the three-language policy. “The state is seeking funds from the centre which is its rightful due and if the central minister speaks arrogantly, as if the state claimed his personal wealth, then Delhi may have to see the real trait of the Tamil people,” the CM said.
AIADMK General Secretary and Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami said, “The centre saying it will only release funds if Tamil Nadu accepts the three-language system, it is not correct.”
He further said, “Our request to the centre is, do not look at the rulers but focus on the people. TN is a pioneer in education. Our youth must continue to be educated.”
Moreover, Congress, NTK, PMK, DMDK and TVK, too, reacted strongly to the minister’s statement.
Stalin emphasised that the Indian Union is made up of states and the union government is not the sole authority on the subject matter of education, which falls under the Concurrent List. Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin said touching Tamil Nadu is akin to touching fire.
Parties flay centre over NEP; BJP chief says TN language policy obsolete
“YOU will know this if you read TN’s post-Independence history. We are only asking for our rights,” Udhayanidhi said.
School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi met with Udhayanidhi to discuss the matter on Sunday. Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu asked why Tamil Nadu, which contributes 9% to the national GDP without conditions, should face restrictions when seeking its rightful share of funds.
AIADMK leader D Jayakumar, in a social media post, reaffirmed the party’s opposition to imposition of Hindi. Criticising the DMK for questioning AIADMK’s stance on the issue, Jayakumar said party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami had already opposed the three-language policy last year. “AIADMK, which firmly supports the two-language policy, is the true Dravidian movement. DMK, on the other hand, teaches Hindi in schools run by its leaders while pretending to oppose it in public. This is the hypocrisy of the Stalin-model government,” he said.
TNCC president K Selvaperunthagai accused the centre of acting with bias against opposition-ruled states. He recalled that though Navodaya schools — introduced during Rajiv Gandhi’s tenure — were rejected by Tamil Nadu due to the three-language policy, the union government still released funds to the state without any vendetta.
TVK leader Vijay said imposing the three-language policy amounts to robbing the state of its autonomy. PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss reminded the centre of Tamil Nadu’s 80-year-long history of resistance against Hindi imposition. He urged the centre to honour its 1963 promise that English would remain the official language as long as non-Hindi-speaking states desired and that Hindi would not be imposed.
In a statement, the DMDK said it was unacceptable for the centre to force the three-language policy on Tamil Nadu, warning that such a move would affect the future of state students. NTK leader Seeman welcomed the state government’s firm stand against Hindi imposition. He remarked that India’s unity depends on its linguistic diversity, warning that if one language is imposed new nations will be born. IUML chief K M Kader Mohideen said the state will never compromise on its policy.
Reacting to the widespread opposition to Pradhan’s statement, BJP Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai on Sunday dubbed the two-language policy as “obsolete policy from the 1960s” and asked how fair is it to impose such a policy on Tamil Nadu’s students in 2025 when the world is growing rapidly.
Annamalai also mentioned that the three-language policy is already being implemented in private schools run by DMK leaders. He asked whether the CM is saying that students can learn three languages only if they have money as most private CBSE schools in the state follow the system already.
Stop paying tax to union govt, says Seeman
TIRUPPUR: NTK welcomes the state government’s stand on the new education policy, party chief Seeman said. Talking to reporters on Sunday, Seeman said, “India is a multi-lingual country. It is a union of many nations. Every language has its own culture, art and worship. Priority should be given to all states and languages.
The NEP makes Hindi mandatory. We will learn Hindi if we want to, but the centre should not force it on us. India will be one country only if there are many languages. It is unacceptable that the centre refuses funds only because TN does not accept the NEP. It is not correct to do so while receiving more tax revenue from our state. TN should stop paying tax to the centre which refuses to provide us funds. The state government should immediately convene the Assembly and adopt a resolution in this regard.”
‘Tamils will show trait’
“The state is seeking funds from the centre which is its rightful due and if the central minister speaks arrogantly, as if TN claimed his personal wealth, then Delhi may have to see the real trait of the Tamil people,” Stalin said
‘2-language is obsolete’
BJP TN president K Annamalai on Sunday dubbed the two-language policy as “obsolete policy from the 1960s” and asked how fair is it to impose such a policy on state students in 2025 when the world is advancing rapidly