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NEW DELHI: Responding to Tamil Nadu deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin‘s accusation once again that the BJP-led Union govt is attempting to impose Hindi on the state, Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan criticised the DMK govt for “doing politics” over the issue while reiterating Centre’s commitment to implementing the National Education Policy 2020.
The latest row erupted after Pradhan, speaking in Varanasi on Feb 15, asserted that Tamil Nadu must come to terms with the Indian Constitution and accept the three-language formula, calling it the rule of law.
Arguing that the NEP-2020 provides a level playing field for students nationwide, Pradhan said, “To create competition among students, to create a common platform, we must embrace multi-lingual education. The NEP emphasises the mother tongue. Tamil is one of the oldest languages of our civilization. But what is wrong if a student in Tamil Nadu learns multiple languages? There is no imposition of Hindi or any other language.”
The political battle over the language policy has once again intensified in Tamil Nadu, with the DMK-led state govt opposing the Centre’s three-language policy under NEP-2020. Tamil Nadu govt has been against the three-language formula, which has been a policy since 1968 and was reiterated in 1986. However, the state has never implemented it.
The opposition to the three-language formula stems from Tamil Nadu’s long standing resistance to purported Hindi imposition, a sentiment deeply rooted in the state’s political history. The state witnessed strong anti-Hindi agitations in 1937 and later in the 1960s, which ultimately led to Tamil Nadu adopting the two-language policy.
The state BJP dismissed the DMK’s objections, calling them politically motivated. BJP Tamil Nadu vice president said, “All private schools owned by many politicians, including the one owned by the first family of DMK, teach Hindi and other languages. They just want to do cheap politics. We condemn the CM for politicising this.”
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