‘Hindi Imposition’ Narrative an Attempt to Mask Failures: Dharmendra Pradhan Slams Tamil Nadu CM
New Delhi: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday strongly criticized M. K. Stalin over his remarks on the National Education Policy 2020, calling the “Hindi imposition” charge baseless and a “tired attempt” to cover up administrative and political failures.
Responding through social media, Pradhan asserted that NEP 2020 is not about imposing Hindi but represents a vision of “linguistic freedom.” He emphasized that the policy prioritizes mother tongue education, enabling Tamil-speaking students to learn in their native language while achieving global excellence.
The minister said viewing multilingualism as a threat is misguided. “Tamil will not weaken by learning additional languages; rather, it will grow stronger,” he noted, adding that portraying a flexible policy as “mandatory Hindi” risks harming the future of young learners.
Highlighting key features of the policy, Pradhan said NEP 2020 promotes all Indian languages equally and seeks to overcome the limitations of the existing two-language system. He added that the government is implementing the policy on the ground through initiatives like Samagra Shiksha and teacher training programs such as NPST and NMM.
Referring to cultural initiatives, Pradhan said that under the leadership of Narendra Modi, Tamil has been recognized as a “national heritage,” with events like Kashi Tamil Sangamam helping bring global attention to Tamil culture.
The Union Minister also accused the DMK government of indulging in vote-bank politics and depriving Tamil students of diverse opportunities. Citing data, he alleged that the state government stalled the implementation of PM SHRI schools by not signing MoUs and obstructed the rollout of Navodaya Vidyalayas despite directions from the Supreme Court, calling it a direct injustice to poor and meritorious students.
