NEW DELHI: Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday attacked the DMK leaders again over their opposition to the National Education Policy. He said that Tamil language in the state was “already on decline” and added that “nobody is imposing anything on you”.
Addressing the massive criticism he received from the DMK leaders over his controversial comment in the Parliament on Monday, he said, “I appeal to my colleagues from Tamil Nadu, let them abuse me personally, today the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu has said that PM Shree means Sanskrit… We have to take India to new heights and we will take forward the country under Tamil Nadu.”
“I fail to understand that in Tamil Nadu, those who are advocating two language formulas, in their own government schools Tamil language is declining and colonial language is increasing. This is an alarming thing… don’t create fear psychosis. Nobody is imposing anything on you,” Pradhan noted.
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He accused the DMK of trying to create “fear psychosis” about languages in the state and said, “Don’t create fear psychosis. Nobody is imposing anything on you.”
“I am proud of the Tamil language. What is your opposition to NEP? It is advocating that the medium of instruction till class 5 should be Tamil language. We are promoting Sengol and that is our understanding of the Tamil language,” he added.
His remarks in the Lok Sabha on Monday sparked an uproar when he accused the Tamil Nadu government of being “dishonest” and reversing its stance on implementing the PM Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme. DMK members condemned his comments as an insult to Tamil Nadu, leading him to withdraw the remarks.
The Tamil Nadu government and the Centre remain at odds over the implementation of the new National Education Policy, particularly the proposed three-language formula.
