Pradhan stated that funds under the Samagra Shiksha scheme would not be released for the state unless the state government accepted the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020. The education minister was speaking to reporters at the inauguration of Varanasi’s Kashi Tamil Sangamam, The New Indian Express reported.
He further accused the DMK government of acting for political reasons and questioned why Tamil Nadu was the only state opposing the policy, while the rest of the country adopted it. He said, “They are politically motivated and not acting for the welfare of the people of TN. They cannot think they are above the Constitution. They must accept the NEP in letter and spirit.”
Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu O Panneerselvam urged the Centre on Monday, February 17, to reconsider its decision. On X, he said that a resolution was passed in the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu during the tenure of former Chief Minister C N Annadurai on January 23, 1968, to follow a two-language policy of Tamil and English, following this Hindi was removed from the curriculum in the state.
He added that M G Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa, too, endorsed this policy and strictly adhered to it. “The insistence of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan that only if a trilingual policy was followed as per the new National Education Policy (NEP), funds can be allocated to Tamil Nadu was unacceptable,” he said.
மும்மொழிக் கொள்கையை பின்பற்றினால்தான் நிதி ஒதுக்கீடு என்ற முடிவை கைவிடுமாறு மத்திய அரசை வலியுறுத்தல்! pic.twitter.com/vA3djyTOri
— O Panneerselvam (@OfficeOfOPS) February 17, 2025
“This is tantamount to imposing a trilingual policy on Tamil Nadu. Therefore, on behalf of the AIADMK Workers’ Rights Retrieval Committee, I request the Central Government to reconsider the decision that funds will be allocated only if the three-language policy is followed, and release the funds to Tamil Nadu immediately,” Panneerselvam added.
Chief Minister MK Stalin also criticised the remarks and said that Tamils would not tolerate such ‘blackmail.’ In a social media post, he wrote, “The Union of India is made up of states! Education is in the Consolidation List! The Union Government is not a monopoly on it! Tamils will not tolerate the boldness of blackmailing them by saying, There will be no funds for Tamil Nadu until we accept the trilingual policy”! We are asking for our rights! If you speak arrogantly as if you are asking for your private property, Delhi will also have to look at the individuality of Tamils…”
“They have to come to the terms of the Indian Constitution” என்கிறார் ஒன்றியக் கல்வி அமைச்சர். மும்மொழிக் கொள்கையை ‘rule of law’ என்கிறார்.
இந்திய அரசியலமைப்புச் சட்டத்தின் எந்தப் பிரிவு மும்மொழிக் கொள்கையைக் கட்டாயமாக்குகிறது? எனக் கல்வி அமைச்சரால் கூற முடியுமா?மாநிலங்களால்… pic.twitter.com/NtbYkV4FZK
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) February 16, 2025
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president Vijay also condemned the Union government’s imposition of the three-language policy. In a statement, he questioned, “What is the rationale behind the imposition of the three-language policy if it only serves to erode the autonomy of states? This move is a clear violation of the federal structure of India.”
Actor Vijay also opposed the Centre’s interference in regional language policies, claiming that it undermined state autonomy and people’s rights.
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Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram lambasted the Centre, saying it was an insult to Tamil Nadu and Parliament. Calling it an affront to Parliament, he slammed the Centre for withholding education funds.
மும்மொழிக் கொள்கையை ஏற்று இந்தி மொழியைக் கற்பிக்காவிட்டால் கல்வித்துறைக்கான நிதியைத் தமிழ்நாட்டுக்குத் தரமாட்டோம் என்று மத்திய அரசின் கல்வி அமைச்சர் சொன்னது ஆணவத்தின் உச்சம்
அவருக்குத் தமிழ்நாட்டின் வரலாறும் தெரியாது, தமிழ்நாட்டு மக்களின் உணர்வுகளும் தெரியாது, அரசியல் சாசனம்…— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) February 17, 2025
In an X post, he wrote, “The height of arrogance was shown by the Union Education Minister’s statement that unless the government adopts the three-language policy and teaches Hindi, Tamil Nadu will not be given any funds for education. Does he know that only one language policy is followed in Hindi-speaking states?”
Meanwhile, BJP State President K. Annamalai claimed there was no point in adhering to the two-language policy. In a social media post, he wrote, “It is 2025, and the world is developing rapidly. What is the point of imposing an outdated [two-language] policy of the 1960s on the children of Tamil Nadu.”
முதலமைச்சர் உள்ளிட்ட தமிழக அமைச்சர்களின் மகன், மகள் அல்லது பேரன் பேத்திகள் படிக்கும் தனியார் பள்ளிகளில், மும்மொழிகள் பயிற்றுவிக்கலாம். எங்கள் வீட்டுக் குழந்தைகள் பயிலும் அரசுப் பள்ளிகளில், தமிழ், ஆங்கிலம் மற்றும் மூன்றாவது ஒரு இந்திய மொழி என மும்மொழிகள் கற்பிக்கக் கூடாதா?… https://t.co/haRoHzD80n
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) February 16, 2025
“If sons, daughters, and grandchildren of Tamil Nadu Ministers, including the Chief Minister, who go to private schools, can study three languages, why can’t the children attending government schools learn Tamil, English, and any other Indian language,” he added.
