Centre vs Tamil Nadu on Hindi Row
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In New Delhi, the ongoing dispute between Tamil Nadu and the central government over the National Education Policy and its three-language formula, perceived by the southern state as an imposition of Hindi, intensified both inside and outside Parliament on Monday. Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan criticized the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) for allegedly jeopardizing the future of students from Tamil Nadu. He used a derogatory term to refer to Tamil Nadu, which he later retracted, and this comment was subsequently removed from the records of the Lok Sabha.
Chief Minister MK Stalin of Tamil Nadu, who has labeled the imposition of Hindi as an act of “entitled bigots,” responded vigorously. On social media platform X, he admonished Mr. Pradhan to “mind his words,” asserting that the Union Education Minister, who perceives himself as a monarch and speaks with arrogance, requires discipline.
Mr. Pradhan expressed his frustration in the Lok Sabha, stating, “The DMK is being dishonest. They are not dedicated to the students of Tamil Nadu. They are compromising the future of these students. Their sole objective is to create language barriers. They are engaging in political mischief and are undemocratic.”
In response, the DMK initiated a privilege motion submitted by K Kanimozhi to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. Mr. Pradhan’s comments followed his earlier assertion that Tamil Nadu had initially agreed to fully implement the new education policy, including the three-language formula, only to later retract this agreement, allegedly to exploit the emotionally charged issue for electoral gain in the upcoming Assembly elections.
He further claimed that “internal conflicts” within the DMK, which has been successful in recent elections in the state, including the 2021 Assembly and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, have contributed to this impasse.
Mr. Pradhan’s comments sparked a controversy in the Lok Sabha, leading to a 30-minute adjournment. Following this, DMK Members of Parliament continued their protests against his statements outside the Parliament premises.
“Considers Himself a Monarch”
The minister’s remarks elicited a sharp retort from Mr. Stalin, who asserted that Mr. Pradhan “considers himself a monarch.” He accused him of insulting the people of Tamil Nadu and questioned whether the Honorable Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, condones such behavior. Mr. Stalin further stated, “We have not agreed to implement your plan (the three-language formula), and no one can compel us to do so.”
The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu demanded a clear response from Mr. Modi regarding Mr. Pradhan’s previous assertion that the central government would withhold funding for the state’s education sector unless it adhered to the three-language policy. Mr. Stalin characterized this warning as “blackmail.”
“Just clarify whether it is feasible to release funds that belong to Tamil Nadu students and the taxes collected from us!” he declared in his statement, cautioning the BJP that, as his deputy Udhayanidhi Stalin had indicated last month, the state had “entirely rejected the National Education Policy.”
BJP and DMK Leaders Exchange Barbs
The exchange was not limited to Mr. Pradhan and Mr. Stalin; former Tamil Nadu Governor and BJP leader Tamilisai Soundarajan accused the DMK of depriving students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds of the opportunity to study a third language. “If children from affluent families can study three languages, why should the same opportunity be denied to underprivileged children?” she questioned.
Simultaneously, DMK leaders Dayanidhi Maran and K Kanimozhi countered the narrative that their party had failed to uphold its commitment to fully implement the new education policy.
“… The DMK has never consented to the NEP or the three-language policy… all we have stated is that our students should not be required to learn three languages while students from the north are only taught one. We do not oppose Hindi… if students wish to learn it, they are free to do so, but it should not be mandatory…” Mr. Maran asserted.
