Does NDA have guts to say they will implement 3 language policy in TN?: MK Stalin

Sankarankovil: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Saturday alleged Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made the people wait for cooking gas cylinders and claimed people ask "Modi ji where is LPG?" and wondered if the PM had answers.

Addressing an election rally here, Stalin threw an open challenge to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, PM Modi and Amit Shah and asked whether the NDA had the courage to declare during their election campaign that they would implement the 3-language policy in Tamil Nadu.

The DMK president said in this election too, people must give a resounding defeat as a gift to the alliance formed by the AIADMK, which had pushed Tamil Nadu into a pit in every field during its ten-year rule, and the BJP, which is driving the country towards an unprecedented decline. He said the NDA's "double engine" was nothing but a "failed engine" and it must not be allowed to enter Tamil Nadu as it was not concerned about the people.

Stalin referred to demonetisation and other issues that shook the nation in the past, like oxygen shortage during the coronavirus pandemic and alleged, "Now, the prime minister has made the people wait for cooking gas cylinders. People ask Modi ji where is LPG? Does the PM have answers? Alleging a rise in prices of petrol and cooking gas cylinders, the chief minister asked what answer the prime minister would give to the restaurants that have shut down due to the LPG cylinder shortage and to the families that have lost their livelihoods as a result. Will AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami have the courage to raise his voice against any of these issues?"

The chief minister referred to his statement earlier in the day opposing the 3-language policy in the CBSE curriculum framework and said Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has within hours responded to it and in his response, the central minister claimed, "We are scuttling improvement in the quality of education." The CM asked, "What is the connection between accepting the imposition of Hindi and the quality of education? Furthermore, Stalin alleged that Dharmendra Pradhan has still not released education funds to this day, as "we have not accepted Hindi imposition."

Stalin said, "I throw an open challenge to Pradhan, PM Modi and Amit Shah. When you visit Tamil Nadu for the election campaign, do you have the courage to say that you will implement the 3-language policy in Tamil Nadu? He asked whether AIADMK chief Palaniswami, if he had a sense of honour, could persuade Pradhan to withdraw his statement on the 3-language policy.

On the morning of April 4, Stalin, referring to the CBSE's recently unveiled curriculum framework, alleged in a statement that the "so-called three-language formula" is in reality a "covert" mechanism to expand Hindi into non-Hindi-speaking regions.

Stalin alleged that the curriculum framework by the CBSE, aligned with the National Education Policy 2020, was not an innocent academic reform. It was a calculated and deeply concerning attempt at linguistic imposition that vindicates our long-standing apprehensions.

Reacting within hours, Pradhan said Stalin's narrative of "imposition" is a tired attempt to mask political failures. "The National Education Policy 2020 is, in fact, a manifesto for linguistic liberation. It prioritises the mother tongue so every Tamil child can excel in their own glorious language. By misrepresenting a flexible policy as “compulsory Hindi”, you are not defending Tamil; you are creating barriers that deny our youth the opportunity to become multilingual global leaders. Portraying multilingualism as a threat is misplaced. Tamil is not weakened by the learning of additional languages; it is enriched when its speakers are multilingual, confident and linguistically empowered.

NEP upholds constitutional principles by promoting all languages equally and also addresses the limitations of the existing two-language system. It further focuses on implementation through initiatives such as Samagra Shiksha, teacher training, and strengthening institutions, like DIETs, along with national frameworks, such as NPST and NMM.

Responding to this remark of Pradhan, Stalin alleged, "Your remarks are deeply irresponsible and reckless, and reflect an entrenched disregard for India’s plurality, federal values, and respect for states. Tamil Nadu firmly rejects the 3-language policy. This is not about opposing languages, but about resisting imposition and defending Constitutional rights. Your earlier disparaging remarks about Tamils in Parliament, followed by a belated apology, only underscore a pattern of conduct that is unacceptable." The claim that there is “no Hindi imposition” is plainly dishonest. When a policy structurally corners non-Hindi-speaking states like Tamil Nadu into adopting a third language with little real choice, and when crucial education funding is tied to compliance, it ceases to be a matter of choice.

It is nothing short of audacity to illegally withhold a humongous sum of Rs 2,200 crore under the 'Samagra Shiksha' Scheme, effectively penalising Tamil Nadu for refusing to accept Hindi imposition.

"These are not discretionary grants, but funds that rightfully belong to the people of Tamil Nadu, collected through taxes, and cannot be weaponised as a tool of coercion. Let me also be clear. Tamil Nadu will not accept language imposition under any circumstances, whether disguised as flexibility, backed by financial pressure, or projected as national interest."