NEP Sparks Political Clash: Tamil Nadu vs. Union Government

Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar criticizes Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin's opposition to the National Education Policy (NEP), claiming it's a revolutionary step in education. Stalin accuses the central government of imposing a 'saffronised' agenda through NEP, threatening Tamil Nadu's educational system and withholding funds as coercion.

The National Education Policy (NEP) has become a battleground between the Union Government and the Tamil Nadu administration. Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar has refuted Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin's allegations, asserting that the new policy harbors no hidden agenda towards the saffronization of the educational landscape. Majumdar characterizes NEP as a transformative measure designed to strengthen education through a focus on native languages, including Tamil, while emphasizing student choice in language learning after the eighth grade.

In contrast, Chief Minister Stalin remains an outspoken critic of the policy, arguing that NEP is a thinly veiled attempt to propagate Hindi domination, at the expense of regional language education. At a recent rally in Tiruvallur, Stalin warned of the potential destruction of Tamil Nadu's educational framework under the NEP, accusing the Union Government of using fiscal pressure by withholding funds to push the state towards compliance.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has also stepped into the fray, dismissing Stalin's claims of Hindi imposition as unfounded. Pradhan insists that NEP empowers states to make independent language choices but accuses the DMK government of using the language argument to deflect from governance shortcomings. Correspondence from Tamil Nadu's own education officials contradicts the state's narrative, raising questions about the motives behind DMK's staunch opposition.

(With inputs from agencies.)