Chennai, March 25 (IANS) Tamil Nadu BJP chief K. Annamalai has clarified that the three-language policy outlined in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is aimed at providing students the opportunity to learn multiple languages and is not an attempt to impose Hindi, as alleged by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin.
Taking to social media platform ‘X’, Annamalai said: “By misrepresenting the policy as an attempt to impose Hindi, the Chief Minister has reinforced the DMK’s hidden agenda—that only those who can afford to learn multiple languages should have access to them.”
Citing the policy note of the School Education Department, Annamalai pointed out that the Tamil Nadu government had itself allocated significant funds for promoting Sanskrit and other languages.
He stated that Rs 11 crore had been spent on promoting Sanskrit in 2024–25, and Rs 10 crore had been earmarked for the same in 2025–26. Additionally, Rs 13 crore was spent on promoting other languages in 2024–25, with Rs 14 crore allocated for 2025–26.
Annamalai also questioned the DMK government’s commitment to linguistic diversity. “The Chief Minister should explain to the people what steps the DMK government has taken to promote Sanskrit and other languages in the State,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin reaffirmed the Tamil Nadu government’s firm commitment to the two-language policy of Tamil and English during his speech in the State Legislative Assembly.
He strongly opposed the implementation of a third language, especially Hindi, warning that it would not only threaten the Tamil language but also pose a danger to Tamil culture and identity.
“We hold on to the two-language policy dearly because history has taught us that if we permit another language, it will chew and swallow our own. The imposition of Hindi is not just about language—it’s an act of cultural obliteration,” the Chief Minister said.
His comments came amid growing concerns that the Union government is trying to push the three-language policy through national initiatives such as PM SHRI schools—an initiative Tamil Nadu has opted not to join.
M.K. Stalin also rejected claims by the Centre that Tamil Nadu had previously agreed to implement the three-language formula.
“Let there be no doubt – we are determined. We will not accept the trilingual policy under any circumstances,” he said.
He further accused the BJP-led Central government of trying to dominate states by imposing Hindi and using financial measures as punitive tools.
“They consider the states to be areas of indentured labour. That is why they engage in language imposition and financial atrocities. We must put an end to this altogether. We are compelled to take appropriate measures to safeguard the federal character of India and protect the autonomy of the states.”
The Chief Minister emphasised that only by ensuring state autonomy can the Tamil language, culture, and people be truly safeguarded.
“This is not merely a funding issue – it is about ethnicity, language, and identity. We are not slaves who will mortgage the pride of our race for financial gain. This is the Dravidian model of governance – if there are hurdles, we will break through them,” the Chief Minister added.
–IANS
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