Thiruvallur MP Sasikanth Senthil has announced a hunger strike against the Union government’s denial of educational funds under the Samagra Shiksha scheme to Tamil Nadu.
The Congress MP announced the indefinite hunger strike, announced on Friday, August 29, after the Union government refused Rs 2,151.59 crore in education funds owed to the state, linking the disbursal of funds to the adoption of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Tamil Nadu has refused to adopt the NEP 2020 due to several concerns, including adoption of the three-language formula, which is seen as an attempt to introduce Hindi.
“I have been raising this issue inside and outside Parliament for months. I have tried to move a private member's resolution demanding the immediate release of SSA funds to Tamil Nadu. I have also written directly to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, urging him to release the funds. However, the Union government has been adamant. It is not appropriate for the BJP government to continue to punish the children and teachers of Tamil Nadu for our state's principled stand on education and language rights.” Sasikanth said in a media statement.
The MP has announced that the strike will continue till the release of the SSA funds.
The state had filed a petition in the Supreme Court in May regarding the remittance of funds. The funds owed to the state affect 43.95 lakh students, 2.22 lakh teachers and 32,701 staff members as per the petition. This includes the funds for the reserved seats in private schools under the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act for students belonging to economically disadvantaged communities.