Stalin vs Dharmendra Pradhan escalates: 'Is imposing Hindi in name of NEP not politics?'

NEW DELHI: As Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan asked Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin to 'rise above politics' amid "imposition of Hindi" through National Education Policy row, the chief minister on Friday hit back at the minister accusing him of doing politics in education.

In a sharp rebuttal to Pradhan's letter, Stalin accused the Centre of politicizing education while denying crucial funds to the state.

“Who is really doing politics in education—you or us?” Stalin questioned. “Isn’t it political blackmail to condition fund release on accepting the trilingual policy? Isn’t imposing Hindi in the name of NEP politics? Turning a multilingual, diverse country into a single-language nation—if that’s not politics, then what is? Converting funds meant for one scheme into leverage for implementing another is pure politics,” he declared.

Stalin further alleged that while the DMK government focuses on welfare initiatives, the BJP-led central government spends its resources on fanning communal tensions and pushing Hindi across states. His comments came during the launch of 602 completed projects worth Rs 704.89 crore, the foundation laying for 178 new projects valued at Rs 384.41 crore, and the distribution of welfare aids worth Rs 387 crore to nearly 45,000 beneficiaries.

Reacting to Pradhan’s claim that Tamil Nadu is missing out on Rs 5,000 crore for not adopting the PM SHRI School initiative, Stalin retorted, “It wouldn’t take us a second to say we won’t send you Tamil Nadu’s tax collections either.” He emphasized that cooperative federalism is about mutual ‘giving and receiving,’ calling it a constitutional principle the Centre seems to have forgotten.

Stalin accused the BJP of using the NEP not to uplift education but to covertly promote Hindi. “The Centre knows it can’t directly impose Hindi without facing fierce opposition, so it uses education as a backdoor,” he said. “We know how to nurture our mother tongue. Ask those who’ve lost theirs after embracing Hindi. We don’t need your help to protect Tamil,” he asserted.

Issuing a stern warning to the Centre, Stalin said, “Don’t throw stones at a beehive. Don’t provoke the fighting spirit of the Tamils. As long as I and the DMK exist, no force working against Tamil Nadu, its language, or its people will be allowed entry.”

Reaffirming the Dravidian model of governance, Stalin highlighted its commitment to people’s welfare and the removal of systemic obstacles. “Challenges aren’t new to us. We know how to overcome them. With the people’s support, we’ll continue on the path of progress and victory,” he concluded.

Earlier in the day, Pradhan on Friday wrote to the Tamil Nadu CM, clarifying that the NEP 2020 does not mandate any language. He targeted the Tamil Nadu CM for interpreting NEP 2020 with a "myopic vision" and for portraying progressive educational reforms as political threats.

Pradhan also stated that the chief minister's letter to PM contradicted the spirit of cooperative federalism. Pradhan urged the Tamil Nadu government to "rise above political differences for the interest of young learners."

He also added, "By not implementing NEP 2020, we are depriving our students, teachers, and parents of global and pan-India opportunities. Rejecting a student-centric, future-focused policy is really regressive. Education should not be politicised. Misrepresented facts won’t solve anything. Even many non-BJP states are implementing NEP, taking full cooperation from the federal government. Tamil Nadu is losing out on Rs 5,000 crore by not implementing PM Shri Schools, which focus on scientific education and teaching methods in the Tamil language."

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