Union Government committed to implementing NEP: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan

Dharmendra Pradhan said, "To create competition among students, to create a level-playing field, we have to come to a common platform. NEP is the new aspirational common platform. I respect all languages. This NEP, envisioned by PM Modi is giving emphasis to the mother tongue."

He further said that though Tamil was one of the oldest languages there was nothing wrong if students in Tamil Nadu recieve a multligual education.

"Tamil is one of the oldest languages of our civilisation. But what is wrong if a student in Tamil Nadu will learn multilingual aspect in education? It can be Tamil, English and other Indian languages. There is no imposition of Hindi or any other language on them. Some friends in Tamil Nadu are doing politics. But Govt of India is committed to implementing NEP and there are certain conditions with NEP," the Minister said.

The Education Minister further said that certain political parties were not in favor of implementing NEP due to their political interests, although education is on the concurrent list.

Earlier Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister and DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin on Monday hit out at the BJP-led Union government, which he alleged was attempting a Hindi imposition on the Southern state.

"The Union Government has not allotted funds to us in the union budget and even Tamil Nadu's name is not there in the budget. After the cyclonic disaster happened in Tamil Nadu, we asked for funds from the central government to release funds, but they still have not allotted it; only SDRF funds were given to us. Tamil Nadu people are watching their actions and when the time comes, they will reply to them," Stalin told ANI.

"Education was in the state list before and it is in the concurrent list now. The Union government is trying to impose Hindi and our Chief Minister will not accept it. The Union government is trying to impose Hindi on us and please don't impose Hindi on us," the Deputy Chief minister of Tamil Nadu added.

DMK leader Saravanan Annadurai also hit out at Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai for supporting Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's statement on the New Education Policy (NEP) and refused the need to study Hindi.

"Anamalai is indebted to the RSS high command, who have made him the Tamil Nadu chief... He was made the chief of TN BJP so that he could be a puppet in those hands. If he understands Tamil Nadu's history, he will oppose the three-language formula," Annadurai said.

"We don't want Hindi. Why should we read Hindi? What's the use of studying Hindi? Will it make us become a doctor...? Why should we read Hindi? So that we can understand what the Prime Minister says? We should read Hindi because we can converse with North Indian immigrants who are flocking to the state of Tamil Nadu. People here are well educated and migrating to the USA, London, European countries, Australia, China and other countries. There is absolutely no use in studying Hindi," he added.

DMK MP Kanimozhi said, "All those in the BJP should understand the difference between taking a language as a preferred language and studying it when there is no other way and when there is a need to study it."

"Before the BJP came to power, they were teaching German, but now they are forcing Sanskrit to be studied. What is the benefit of studying Sanskrit? Language imposition, dominance imposition, and all these are what the Union government is doing. That is why we are opposing this language imposition, Hindi imposition," she added.

K Annamalai on Sunday had slammed Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin for his stance against the three-language formula in education.

"Private schools where the sons, daughters or grandchildren of Tamil Nadu ministers, including the Chief Minister, study can teach trilingualism. Shouldn't government schools teach our children study trilingualism--Tamil, English and a third Indian language?" Annamalai said in a post on X. (ANI)