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Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday lashed out at Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) over its opposition to the three-language policy, accusing the Stalin government of creating a "political mess" in Tamil Nadu and denying children their "right to learn."
Speaking in Lok Sabha, Sitharaman said, "New Education Policy actually says learn in your mother tongue till class 5th, if possible till 8th even better till intermediate that's what NEP says but they (DMK) want to imagine it is imposing Hindi. Wrongly they have created political mess in Tamil Nadu denying children their right to learn." Sitharaman backed Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's Monday's remark, clarifying that the minister "probably" meant the protest of DMK is "uncivilised." Sharing her personal experience in Tamil Nadu, Sitharaman added that "if you learn Hindi and Sanskrit, you are targeted "All these affection, love and emotion to the Tamil Language, Education Minister spoke the truth about how they were ready to sign the MoU then they changed their mind in the pretext of three language formula 'not suitable for us but you are imposing Hindi.' I lived in the Tamil Nadu where if you learn Hindi and Sanskrit, you are targeted. More important they wanted Honourable Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to apologise because he said it is uncivilised. He probably said that in they way you are protesting is uncivilised." Further reading an old published passage in a magazine of Dravidian leader without naming him, Sitharaman said, "He said if you learn Tamil even a begger can not survive. He says if you have learnt something else you would have something meaningful in your hand to lead your life." In the midst of Sitharaman remarks, INDIA bloc staged a walk-out from the Parliament. Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi criticised Sitharaman over her statement saying, "The Finance Minister tried to show Tamil Nadu in a bad light by mentioning selective data. There have been repeated attempts by Union Ministers to defame opposition-ruled states by highlighting selective data. In protest against this, the Opposition walked out." Congress MP KC Venugopal condemned Sitharaman's remark saying, " Insult of states like Tamil Nadu by Union ministers has become an order of the House now." "This is not acceptable. Yesterday, the Education Minister did it, and today, the Finance Minister did the same." Venugopal said. On Monday, Pradhan while speaking in Lok Sabha, accused the Tamil Nadu government and opposition MPs from Tamil Nadu of being "liars" and "uncivilised." The remarks were made during a discussion about the Union government's withholding of over Rs 2,000 crore in funds for Tamil Nadu's schools, contingent upon the State signing the National Education Policy (NEP) and the three-language policy. Pradhan later withdrew his words, but the DMK MP condemned the 'undemocratic and unparliamentary' words used for the Tamil Nadu parliamentarians. Kanimozhi said that the State government has been rigid on their stand on the issue right from the beginning and have not changed it. (ANI)
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