Union education minister denies NEP's push for Hindi, calls Tamil Nadu's stance politically motivated

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan claimed on March 2 that Tamil Nadu's objection was driven by "political reasons" and that the New Education Policy would not impose Hindi on states.

“We have never said in NEP 2020 that only Hindi will be there; we have only said that education will be based on mother tongue, in Tamil Nadu, it will be Tamil,” Pradhan said.

The Minister made these comments amid rising tensions between the Union and Tamil Nadu governments over the NEP’s implementation and the three-language policy.

“I don’t want to answer to the political ambitions of few people. NEP 2020 is focused on different languages of India, be it Hindi, Tamil, Odia, or Punjabi. All the languages have equal importance. In Tamil Nadu, few are opposing because of politics,” Pradhan said.

Pradhan had earlier reaffirmed the government's position on the three-language policy as part of NEP 2020, emphasizing its significance for employment and national integration.

“The three-language policy should be adopted in the country,” Pradhan said.

“Considering the current social and economic conditions, the country requires a system where anyone from any region can find employment. This necessity, keeping in mind the social, cultural and economic needs, has been emphasized by experts and they suggest that the trilingual formula for education is a useful system,” he added.