'Arrogant, need to be disciplined': TN CM Stalin hits out at Union education minister Pradhan over NEP

NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin on Monday lashed out at Dharmendra Pradhan and said that the Union education minister "thinks of himself as a king and speaks arrogantly."

His comments came in response to Pradhan's remark during Lok Sabha proceedings where he termed the State government as "dishonest" and claimed that they are "ruining" the future of students.

In a post on X, written in Tamil language, Stalin said Tamil Nadu is not willing to implement the National Education Policy plan, and no one can force him to do so.

"The Union Education Minister, who thinks of himself as a king and speaks arrogantly, @dpradhanbjp They need to be disciplined! Are you saying that you are being rude to Tamil Nadu MPs by defrauding them of Tamil Nadu's funds? You are insulting the people of Tamil Nadu. Does the Honorable Prime Minister @narendramodi accept this? Are you the one who wrote to me saying that the PM SHRI (Rising India scheme) MoU sent by the Tamil Nadu government completely rejected the NEP and the three-language policy?" Stalin said.



" Mr. Pradhan, We act only by respecting the thoughts of the people! Not by being bound by the words of Nagpur like you!! We are not willing to implement your plan, and no one can force me to do so. Just answer whether it is possible to release the funds for Tamil Nadu students and the taxes collected from us!" he added.

Also read: Union minister Dharmendra accuses DMK of disregarding students' future for 'politics' amid NEP row

BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal criticised Stalin for his comments and said that Pradhan had taken back his and Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla had removed it from the House proceedings.

"Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan has made this clear in Parliament. He has taken back the words he used. The Lok Sabha Speaker has removed it from the proceedings. If a member makes a statement on a topic that has ended in Parliament, then I feel that parliamentary decorum is not being followed ..," he said.


Pradhan in his remarks during Question Hour alleged that the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government had initially agreed to implement the PM Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme in the state but later went back on their promise. The DMK staged a protest, over the union minister's remarks that led to an adjournment of proceedings of the Lower House of Parliament.


"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.

Stay updated with the latest India news, weather forecast for major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Noida, and Bengaluru on Times of India.