NEW DELHI: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has strongly criticized the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) over its stand regarding the three-language policy in the New Education Policy (NEP).
Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Pradhan accused the DMK of being “dishonest” and prioritizing politics over students’ futures.
“They (DMK) are dishonest. They are not committed to the students of Tamil Nadu. They are ruining the future of Tamil Nadu students.
Their only job is to raise language barriers. They are doing politics. They are doing mischief. They are undemocratic and uncivilised,” Pradhan said.
Meanwhile, in the Rajya Sabha, the DMK staged a walkout after raising concerns about the three-language policy and delimitation issues.
Union Health Minister JP Nadda criticized the opposition for walking out, saying they should read the rules before demanding an adjournment motion.
Nadda called their actions irresponsible and suggested that opposition leaders, including the Leader of Opposition (LoP), should take a refresher course to understand parliamentary rules.
He claimed that frequent adjournment notices were a “vicious design to demean the institution of Parliament” and assured that the government was ready to discuss all issues within the rules.
Earlier, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin hit back at Pradhan over the ongoing debate on NEP. He accused the Union Minister of reviving a fight he “can never win.”
Stalin said,ย “The tree may prefer calm, but the wind will not subside. The Union Education Minister provoked us to write this series of letters when we were simply doing our job. He forgot his place and dared to threaten an entire state to accept Hindi imposition, and now he faces the consequences of reviving a fight he can never win. Tamil Nadu will not be blackmailed into surrendering.”
He further added that Tamil Nadu has already achieved many of NEP’s goals before 2030. Comparing the situation to a beginner teaching an expert, he said,ย “This is like an LKG student lecturing a PhD holder. Dravidam does not take dictations from Delhi. Instead, it sets the course for the nation to follow.”
Congress leader P Chidambaram also weighed in, questioning the logic of discussing a three-language formula when the two-language system itself is not properly implemented.
“Three languages should be taught in schools. No state in India follows the three-language formula. In Hindi-speaking states, it is effectively a one-language formula. The common language is Hindi, the official state language is Hindi, the medium of instruction is Hindi, and the subject they study is Hindi. If at all another language is taught, it is Sanskrit. Very few government schools have English teachers. And there is no question of a Tamil, Telugu, or Malayalam teacher,”ย Chidambaram said.
