‘Are you against Tamil?’: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, CM Stalin fight over new education policy | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: A war of words between Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin after the Dravidian leader accused the central government of withholding funds from well-performing states but against the National Education Policy (NEP translation).
The accusation was followed by a dig from the Union Minister, who accused the DMK leader of sowing divisions among states over the NEP.
Pradhan responded to these allegations on X by arguing that while healthy competition between states has value in a democratic context, using it to “pit states against each other” is against the principles of the Constitution and the concept of national unity.
“NEP 2020 has been shaped through a wide range of consultations and embodies the collective wisdom of the people of India,” Pradhan wrote on X.

Pradhan questioned Stalin’s “principled” opposition to the NEP and asked whether his concerns related to issues such as education in Tamil, examinations in Indian languages ​​or the development of teaching materials in those languages.
“Are you against education in mother tongues, including Tamil? Are you against conducting examinations in Indian languages ​​like Tamil? Are you against developing textbooks and content in these languages? Do you reject the holistic, multidisciplinary, equitable, futuristic and inclusive framework of the NEP?” Pradhan asked.
On Monday, DMK and Prime Minister Stalin, who have been opposing the National Education Policy (NEP) since its implementation, shared a report on X criticising the Centre for stopping Samagra Shiksha funds for states opposing the policy. Stalin condemned the move, saying that penalizing high-performing states that fail to implement the NEP while rewarding other states weakens efforts to ensure quality education and equity.

“Denying funds to the best performing states for refusing to bow to the #NEP, while generously rewarding those who fail to deliver on the targets – is this how the Union BJP government plans to promote quality education and equality? I leave it to the wisdom of our nation and our people to decide!” the Prime Minister wrote on X.