As Tamil Nadu stepped up its opposition to the National Education Policy, with the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and its allies announcing a protest on February 18, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday dismissed the state government's opposition as "politics" and said the Centre is committed to implementing the NEP across the country.
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, rallying behind his party's key ally the DMK, termed as "peak of arrogance," Pradhan's insistence on NEP and wanted Tamil Nadu people to oppose the 'arrogance' by showing unity.
Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin said the next course of action would be decided following consultations with Chief Minister MK Stalin, and dubbed the Centre's insistence on NEP as "atrocious" and asserted that the three-language policy cannot be accepted.
Chidambaram said Pradhan's 'arrogant' comment that unless the state government adopts the three-language policy and teaches Hindi, it would not be released funds, showed that he neither knew Tamil Nadu's history nor understood its people's sentiments. Also, the union minister was not aware of the nation's Constitutional history, he alleged.
Pradhan said in Delhi that the NEP does not impose Hindi or any other language on students in the DMK-ruled state "but what is wrong if a student in Tamil Nadu learns multilingual aspect in education?
"It can be Tamil, English and other Indian languages," he told reporters in the national capital.
"There is no imposition of Hindi or any other language on them. Some friends in Tamil Nadu are doing politics. But the Indian government is committed to implementing NEP and there are certain conditions with NEP."
The Centre and the Tamil Nadu government have been at the loggerheads on the implementation of the NEP and three-language formula proposed in the policy.
Further, the Union minister said: "Tamil Nadu (government) is not implementing the policy because of its political interests but to create competition among students, to create a level-playing field, we have to come to a common platform. The NEP is the new aspirational common platform. I respect all languages. This NEP, envisioned by PM Modi, puts emphasis on the mother tongue...Tamil is one of the oldest languages of our civilisation."
The DMK, however, accused the Centre of making all efforts to impinge on the rights of the state and said the scheduled demonstration on Tuesday is only an initial step.
"Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is intimidating saying the Centre will not release funds to Tamil Nadu's education department till such time the NEP is accepted. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is partial in allocating funds for Tamil Nadu and she is continuously ignoring projects for the state," the DMK headquarters said in a press release.
The ruling party hit out at the Union government for "transgressions" using the office of Governor and for attempting to "damage" the state's education infrastructure through the UGC.
Further, it alleged continuous measures aimed at "Dravidian-Tamil" hate and steps to impose Hindi under the guise of three language policy.
Thus, the Modi regime which is "betraying" Tamil Nadu has been creating a situation to oppose them firmly.
While main opposition All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's top leader Edappadi K Palaniswami has already made it clear that his party would continue to toe the two-language policy, former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam urged the Centre to stop insisting on trilingual policy.
Union minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader L Murugan accused CM Stalin of diverting the people on the NEP and remarked that people were not living in the sixties for the DMK to play politics in the name of language.
Murugan said Pradhan never denied funds to Tamil Nadu.
Murugan, also a former TN BJP chief, asked "what is the problem in implementing the NEP which aims to groom our youth to be equipped for global competition?" Secondly, NEP insisted on providing primary education in one's mother tongue. The policy was framed after 40 years of deliberation and consultation from people from all walks of life, he said.
AIADMK leader IS Inbadurai wondered why the state government "signed an MoU" with the Centre in respect of PM SHRI when Tamil Nadu does not need NEP that "imposed Hindi."
On the MoU, school education minister Anbil Mahesh had said that it had been clearly stated that only a committee would be formed to study the requirements of the state.
Deputy CM Udhayanidhi said: "People of Tamil Nadu are watching and they will teach a fitting lesson (to the BJP-led Centre) at the appropriate time."
He said the chief minister would never compromise on state's right on education. Years ago, education was brought to the concurrent list from the state list of the Constitution by the Centre and later, NEET was implemented and now the Centre was trying to thrust Hindi through another way, which is the NEP and it would not be allowed, Udhayanidhi added.
DMK legislator Ezhilan said the Official Language (Use for Official Purposes of the Union) Rules, 1976, exempts the state of Tamil Nadu and added that those who voluntarily seek to learn Hindi in the state may do it.
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