Stalin rejects NEP, condemns Dharmendra Pradhan’s remark

Chengalpattu (Tamil Nadu), March 11: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin firmly rejected the National Education Policy (NEP) and condemned Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's recent remarks about the state during a speech at the Chengalpattu government welfare assistance distribution ceremony on Tuesday.

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Stalin expressed concern over the central government's pressure tactics, warning that such actions could harm Tamil Nadu's education system. He began by highlighting the state's economic progress, stating, "Tamil Nadu has become the second most economically developed state in India. Over the last three years, we have secured more than 10 lakh crore in private investments. If there were no obstacles, Tamil Nadu’s growth would have been even better."

The Chief Minister criticized Pradhan's comments in Parliament, where the Union Minister had suggested that Tamil Nadu would receive Rs 2,000 crore in central funds only if the state agreed to adopt the triple-language policy, including Hindi and Sanskrit. Stalin condemned this remark as "rude" and accused the central government of "blackmailing" Tamil Nadu.

"In the name of the National Education Policy, they are trying to implement policies that aim to completely dismantle education in Tamil Nadu," Stalin said. He further criticized the NEP for its focus on privatizing education, restricting higher education access to the wealthy, mixing education with religion, introducing public exams for young children, and creating NEET-like entrance exams for a wide range of subjects, including arts, science, and engineering. "This will only give the Union government more control over education," Stalin added.

The Chief Minister reiterated his strong opposition to the NEP, declaring, "We will not accept the National Education Policy. I repeat, not only Rs 2,000 crore, even if you offer 100,000 crore, we will not accept this harmful NEP scheme."

Stalin also addressed the controversial remarks made by Dharmendra Pradhan, who had referred to Tamils as "uncivilized." Stalin praised Tamil Nadu MPs for swiftly forcing Pradhan to retract his words, stating, "Yesterday, Dharmendra Pradhan called Tamils uncivilized without thinking. But within half an hour, our Tamil Nadu MPs made him take back his words. I appreciate them for their strong response."