Chennai: The debate over the alleged imposition of a third language under the National Education Policy (NEP) in Tamil Nadu has intensified, turning into a fierce political showdown between the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday took a sharp jibe at Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, urging him to introduce engineering and medical education in Tamil rather than opposing the NEP. His remarks came in response to Stalin’s criticism of the policy, where the CM likened it to “an LKG student lecturing a PhD holder,” arguing that Tamil Nadu had already met the policy’s objectives.
Speaking at the 56th Raising Day of the CISF in Ranipet, Shah defended the Modi government’s educational reforms, highlighting that CISF aspirants can now write their exams in regional languages, including Tamil. “The Modi government has ensured that exams can now be written in Tamil too. I appeal to the Tamil Nadu chief minister to start engineering and medical education in Tamil for the benefit of students,” Shah said.
Adding fuel to the fire, BJP Tamil Nadu state president K Annamalai launched a scathing attack on Stalin, accusing him of “rattling” over the BJP’s pro-NEP campaign. He claimed that the party’s online petition supporting the NEP had gathered over two lakh signatures within 36 hours, with the on-ground campaign receiving a strong public response.
“Thiru MK Stalin, our online signature campaign through puthiyakalvi.in is supported by over 2 lakh people within 36 hours, and our on-ground signature campaign continues to receive overwhelming reception across TN. Your rants against it mean nothing to us,” Annamalai posted on X.
