M.K. Stalin Endorses Tamil Diaspora Protest in US Against Three-Language Policy
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Synopsis
On March 2, Tamil Nadu's CM M.K. Stalin supported a protest by the Tamil diaspora in the US against the Centre's three-language policy. This comes amid rising tensions between the DMK and the BJP-led government over the NEP 2020 and language policies.
Key Takeaways
- CM M.K. Stalin supports Tamil diaspora protests against the three-language policy.
- The protest occurred in Dallas, US, opposing the NEP 2020.
- Claims that the BJP-led Centre is imposing Hindi on Tamil Nadu.
- Concerns raised over unequal funding for Tamil vs. Sanskrit.
- Opposition to the NEP spans both ruling and opposition parties.
Chennai, March 2 (NationPress) The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and DMK President, M.K. Stalin, voiced his backing for a demonstration conducted by a segment of the Tamil diaspora in the US opposing the Centre's three-language policy on Sunday. He disseminated a news article along with a video of the protest via X. This protest occurred in Dallas, US, where a group of Tamils expressed their dissent against the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, particularly criticizing its advocacy for a three-language framework that incorporates Hindi.
The demonstrators charged the BJP-led Centre with attempting to impose Hindi on Tamil Nadu, thereby undermining the state’s traditional two-language policy.
This matter has exacerbated the ongoing political and ideological conflict between the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu and the BJP-led Centre.
The contention heightened after the Union Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, declared that funds under the Samagra Shiksha scheme would not be disbursed unless Tamil Nadu adopted the NEP and the three-language policy. This statement incited a significant backlash from DMK officials, their partners, and even BJP-aligned parties such as PMK, which oppose both the NEP and the three-language framework.
Recently, CM Stalin cautioned that the execution of the NEP would regress Tamil Nadu by 2,000 years. He affirmed that the state would not acquiesce to the policy, even if the Union government offered Rs 10,000 crore. He also reproached the Union Education Minister for attempting to impose Hindi through the NEP, pledging to safeguard Tamil identity at any cost.
CM Stalin further underscored what he deemed an inequitable allocation of resources for language development. He highlighted that while Tamil is spoken by eight crore individuals, the Union government has earmarked only Rs 74 crore for its advancement. In contrast, Rs 1,488 crore has been designated for Sanskrit, which is spoken by merely a few thousand.
The Tamil Nadu government has consistently opposed the NEP and the three-language policy, advocating instead for its two-language system: Tamil and English.
Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin has reiterated that Tamil Nadu will maintain its position.
Opposition to the three-language policy extends beyond the ruling DMK. Even the main opposition party, AIADMK, has endorsed the state’s two-language policy.
However, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan accused CM Stalin of distorting the NEP to sustain a political narrative. He urged the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister to transcend political divides and consider the welfare of students who would gain from the NEP.
Pradhan’s comments were a reaction to a letter CM Stalin recently sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in which he expressed objections to the connection between Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) funds and the PM SHRI Schools scheme.
CM Stalin contended that these are separate centrally sponsored initiatives, and linking them is unjust.
In his letter, CM Stalin implored Prime Minister Modi to promptly release Rs 2,152 crore in Samagra Shiksha funds for Tamil Nadu without tying them to the NEP. He accused the Union government of leveraging financial allocations to coerce states into compliance, labeling it a breach of cooperative federalism.
