Illam Thedi Kalvi has many similarities to NEP, says Annamalai

MADURAI

BJP State president K. Annamalai on Tuesday said the Illam Thedi Kalvi scheme launched by the Tamil Nadu government had many similarities to the National Education Policy (NEP) of the Centre.

Addressing the media, he said he was not interested in playing politics over such developmental issues, and would be happy as long as the benefits reached the needy. Instead of misleading the people, the DMK government should henceforth understand that the BJP only made criticisms wherever required.

On the Coimbatore blast, he reiterated that the issue had come to the fore only due to his party’s intervention, as otherwise, the State government may have conveniently buried it as a “cylinder blast”.

Some leaders in the DMK repeatedly gave a wrong impression that the BJP was behind efforts to impose Hindi on students in Tamil Nadu. This was totally wrong, Mr. Annamalai said, adding that it was only during the UPA regime that Hindi was compulsory, while the BJP had categorically stated that there was no need [to make it compulsory] at all. “The National Education Policy has now made the third language optional,” he clarified.

Mr. Annamalai said the BJP’s Tamil Nadu unit was planning to hold agitations in 1,200 locations across the State on November 15. The objective of the stir is to demand that the government immediately revoke the hike in the price of milk, the electricity tariff and the property tax.

Accompanied by BJP Madurai district unit functionaries, Mr. Annamalai visited the vegetable market at Maatuthavani. The merchants there submitted a memorandum seeking the BJP’s support in improving infrastructure.

Earlier, he launched the Enathu Booth, Valimaiyanaa Booth programme in Madurai. He said the BJP would visit the wards in the Corporation and take up their issues with the civic authorities. The party would visit all the booths even when there were no elections, he added.