COIMBATORE: Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan said that political parties allied with the BJP may have differing opinions and ideologies on the language policy, but the BJP remains committed to implementing the three-language policy.
Responding to concerns expressed by PMK, an ally of the BJP, which is against the three-language policy with its chief Anbumani Ramadoss terming it a cheating policy, Murugan said that political alliances between parties are only for working together during the elections.
During a press meeting at Coimbatore airport on Saturday, Murugan said that the BJP’s signature campaign supporting the three-language policy had received significant public support despite obstacles from the state government and police.
He said, “Union Home Minister Amit Shah has consistently urged the TN government to offer engineering and medical courses in Tamil. The BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are actively working for the welfare of Tamil language.”
When asked about Anna University’s introduction of Tamil medium for such courses a few years ago, which had not garnered student interest, Murugan said that merely introducing a system does not create opportunities.
Murugan accused the DMK of creating an environment where economically privileged people can choose their language of study while neglecting needs of students in government schools. He said that denying the opportunity to learn an additional language is nothing but discrimination.
“Pursuing education in three languages being a demand of the public and students, the state government should support and implement it,” Murugan stressed.
Conveying his greetings to women on International Women’s Day, the minister said the BJP-led government at the centre has taken and implemented various initiatives for women’s empowerment in the country.
“Women’s participation in science, technology, engineering, and defence sectors has increased over the past 10 years under the BJP government at the centre. In contrast, the women’s safety in TN has become a concern. If this situation does not improve, the DMK government will be removed from power,” Murugan said.
In response to questions regarding the arrests of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy, Murugan said the centre has established a separate ministry for the welfare of fishermen, allocating Rs 40,000 crore for their development. But only around Rs 400 crore was allocated before 2014 (that is, during UPA regime).
“The central government has focused on building basic amenities and infrastructure for the fishing community, and notably, there have been no shootouts against them in the past 10 years. Whenever fishermen are arrested, efforts are being made to safely rescue them through diplomatic talks,” he added.