In a fresh political confrontation between Tamil Nadu and the Union government, Chief Minister MK Stalin, state school education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MPs P Wilson and Kanimozhi have strongly condemned Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s remarks on the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the three-language formula. MK Stalin accused the Union government of using financial blackmail to impose its education policies on Tamil Nadu, while Wilson and Kanimozhi denounced the Union government’s move as unconstitutional and coercive.
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, speaking at the Kashi Tamil Sangamam in Varanasi on Saturday, February 15, accused the Tamil Nadu government of acting out of political motivations and not in the interest of students. “They cannot think they are above the Constitution. They must accept the NEP in letter and spirit,” Pradhan said.
He also questioned whether Tamil Nadu was against its own language since the NEP emphasises local languages as the primary medium of instruction. “If a student wants to learn Tamil, English, and Kannada, what is wrong with it?” Pradhan asked.
He insisted that funds for the state under the Samagra Shiksha scheme would remain withheld until Tamil Nadu fully adopted the NEP.
Chief Minister MK Stalin, in a scathing response to Pradhan’s statements, questioned the constitutional validity of enforcing the three-language policy.
“They have to come to terms with the Indian Constitution,” Stalin said, countering Pradhan’s assertion that the policy is the “rule of law”.
“Can the Education Minister specify which provision of the Constitution mandates the three-language policy? India is a union of states. Education falls under the Concurrent list. The Union government is not the supreme authority over it!” Stalin asserted.
He also accused the Union government of trying to blackmail Tamil Nadu into submission by withholding crucial funds. “The arrogance of saying, ‘No funds until you accept the three-language policy,’ will not be tolerated by Tamilians,” Stalin said, adding that the state is only demanding its rightful share of funds and will not accept any attempt to undermine its autonomy.
“If you speak arrogantly as if we are asking for your private property, then Delhi will have to witness the unique spirit of Tamilians,” he warned.
Tamil Nadu School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi urged the Union Minister to not play ‘politics’ with education and appealed to ensure funds to the state.
DMK MP P Wilson echoed Stalin’s concerns and accused the Union government of imposing its political ideologies under the guise of the NEP. Wilson strongly condemned Pradhan’s statement that Rs 2,152 crore allocated to Tamil Nadu under the PM Shri scheme was diverted to Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh because Tamil Nadu did not adopt the NEP.
“The Honourable Union Minister appears unaware of the difference between the Indian Constitution and the Union government’s policy decisions. All policy decisions of the Union government under Article 73 are not always constitutional. If policies are arbitrary, illegal, or unconstitutional, states are not bound to accept them. They can be challenged in court and overturned,” Wilson stated.
He also linked the ongoing controversy to Tamil Nadu’s historical resistance to the imposition of Hindi, recalling the DMK-led agitations in the 1960s that forced the Union government to amend the Official Languages Act to ensure indefinite bilingualism.
“How can the NEP be any different? Is this a backdoor approach to undermine the assurances given by the Union in the 1960s?” he asked.
Wilson dismissed Pradhan’s claim that Tamil Nadu’s resistance to the NEP was politically motivated, asserting instead that the state’s opposition is based on a strong commitment to its high educational standards and federal rights. “Tamil Nadu ranks number one in education. What constitutes better education for our people should be determined by the state, not dictated by someone sitting in Delhi,” he said.
DMK MP Kanimozhi also condemned the Union government’s stance, accusing the BJP of using the NEP as a weapon to impose its dominance over Tamil Nadu.
“The BJP government, which constantly devises ways to impose Hindi dominance every day, has now chosen NEP 2020 as its latest weapon,” Kanimozhi said.
“The Union Minister openly threatening that education funds will be released only if the National Education Policy is accepted is a blatant act of intimidation. Is the BJP’s politics about playing with the education of 40 lakh Tamil Nadu students?” she questioned.
She warned that Tamil Nadu will not tolerate a violation of its rights. “I want to warn that if the Union BJP government does not immediately stop its actions of stripping Tamil Nadu of its rights, it will have to answer to the fighting spirit of the Tamil people,” she said.
The latest dispute between Tamil Nadu and the Union government stems from the NEP’s emphasis on a three-language policy, which requires students to learn Hindi in addition to English and their regional language. Tamil Nadu has historically followed a two-language formula, rejecting attempts to impose Hindi on its students.