Mon Mar 10 11:11:00 UTC 2025: ## Tamil Nadu-Centre Clash Erupts Over Hindi in National Education Policy

**New Delhi, March 10, 2025** – A bitter war of words erupted in Parliament and on social media today between the Tamil Nadu government and the Union government over the implementation of the National Education Policy’s (NEP) three-language formula. The dispute, framed by Tamil Nadu as an “imposition of Hindi,” saw sharp exchanges between Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin.

Pradhan accused the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) of being dishonest and ruining the future of Tamil Nadu students by opposing the policy. He made a pejorative remark about the state, which was later withdrawn and expunged from the Lok Sabha records. He further claimed the DMK initially agreed to the policy before backtracking for political gain ahead of next year’s Assembly elections. His statements led to a 30-minute adjournment of the Lok Sabha and protests by DMK MPs outside the building.

Stalin vehemently countered Pradhan’s accusations on X (formerly Twitter), calling the minister arrogant and demanding he “mind his words.” Stalin accused Pradhan of insulting the people of Tamil Nadu and demanded clarification from Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding Pradhan’s previous threat to withhold education funds if the state didn’t comply with the three-language policy. Stalin has previously branded this as blackmail.

The controversy also involved other leaders. BJP leader and former Tamil Nadu Governor Tamilisai Soundarajan accused the DMK of denying poorer students the opportunity to learn a third language. Conversely, DMK MPs Dayanidhi Maran and K Kanimozhi refuted Pradhan’s claims that the party had initially agreed to the NEP, stating that they never consented to the three-language policy and only argued against its compulsory nature. They emphasized that Tamil Nadu students should not be forced to learn three languages while students from other parts of the country learn only one.

The conflict highlights the long-standing sensitivity surrounding Hindi imposition in Tamil Nadu, reigniting memories of violent anti-Hindi protests in the 1960s. The DMK maintains that Tamil Nadu has thrived with a two-language system (Tamil and English) and sees no need for a third, while the BJP argues the three-language formula benefits students traveling to other states. The debate continues, with both sides trading accusations and highlighting the deep-seated political and cultural divisions at play.

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