NEP row: After Stalin's letter to PM, Ed Min Pradhan tells him to not 'politicize education'

Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan on Feb 21 responded to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin’s letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asserting that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 does not mandate any language and accused Stalin of interpreting the policy with a “myopic vision.”

Pradhan reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to promoting Tamil culture and urged the state not to politicize education.

He dismissed Stalin’s concerns, stating that his letter contradicted the principles of cooperative federalism. He urged the Tamil Nadu government to prioritize educational reforms over political differences and warned that rejecting NEP 2020 would deprive students, teachers, and parents of national and global opportunities.

“By not implementing NEP 2020, Tamil Nadu is losing out on ₹5,000 crore in funding for PM Shri Schools, which focus on scientific education and teaching methods in Tamil,” Pradhan wrote to Stalin. He also called the DMK-led opposition to NEP regressive, emphasizing that several non-BJP states had embraced the policy while cooperating with the central government.

"The Modi government is fully committed to promoting and popularizing Tamil culture and language globally. I humbly appeal... do not politicize education..." he said.

In his letter, which Pradhan described as "politically motivated," and based on "imaginary concerns", Stalin urged PM Modi to release ₹2,154 crore in funds for 2024-25, emphasizing "cooperative federalism" and the "welfare" of students.

Stalin also accused Pradhan of attempting to "blackmail" the state by withholding funds to enforce "Hindi imposition." He also reaffirmed that his government would not abandon the two-language policy followed by state-run schools since 1967 in favor of the NEP's three-language formula.

Language debate intensifies amid NEP row

The clash over NEP 2020 escalated on International Mother Language Day, as Stalin took to X declaring, “we should protect our mother tongues from our foes. Tamil is our virtue. Tamil is our protection.”

Stalin’s concerns were triggered by Pradhan’s earlier statement that Tamil Nadu’s ‘Samagra Shiksha’ funds would not be released unless the state implemented the three-language formula outlined in NEP 2020. The DMK and its INDIA bloc allies have accused the BJP-led Centre of infringing upon state rights and withholding essential educational funds.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu BJP chief K. Annamalai defended the three-language policy, arguing that learning an additional language would benefit Tamil Nadu students. He accused the DMK of misleading the public by suggesting that Hindi would be made compulsory under the new policy.

Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, however, rejected this claim, stating that Hindi had already “destroyed” many North Indian languages such as Rajasthani, Haryanvi, and Bhojpuri, and would do the same to Tamil.

With both sides standing firm, the education policy debate has escalated into a larger political battle, with language and federalism at its core.