Reacting to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Congress MP Sasikanth Senthil criticised the National Education Policy 2020 and the implementation of three-language formula.
He argued that the three-language formula, though described as 'flexible', in practice is a one-way street where "choice" quietly evolves into expectation, and expectation into imposition.
In a post on X, he questioned how many BJP-ruled states have actually implemented this with any South Indian languages, how many students have "voluntarily opted" for a third language and where is the data on "trained teachers" to even sustain this model.
He further said that it is not multilingualism, but a 'policy by assertion'. "You can’t preach diversity while practising uniformity, and you certainly can’t call it a choice when the system is designed to leave none," he said.
In a media interview, Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, Minister for Information Technology and Digital Services of Tamil Nadu questioned how many students in states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar actually learn two or three languages proficiently.
"What has been the outcome of our country in the last 75 years? What percentage of our students are spectacularly good at two languages."
He reiterated that Tamil Nadu firmly supports a two-language formula, describing it as an ethically, culturally, and economically sophisticated approach that has delivered strong results.
In another interview, he asserted that those who wish to speak Hindi are free to do so, but opposed any attempt to mandate its expansion in Tamil Nadu’s school curriculum.
"I will not have you dictate to me that I should increase the curriculum of my government schools to three subjects and dilute the learning experience of my people when there is no marginal upside to me," he said.
He also remarked, “You speak Hindi because you know Hindi. I speak Hindi because you only know Hindi. Why should we adapt to them knowing only Hindi?”
He said the three language formula means one language for the Hindi belt and three language for the rest of us.
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 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.
