Stalin trying to turn NEP into a political campaign: MoS Education

Minister Jayant Chaudhary criticizes M.K. Stalin for language controversy, questioning his stance on NEP and multi-lingualism.

Minister for skill development (independent charge) and Minister of State for education Jayant Chaudhay waded into the three language formula controversy charging Tamil Nadu chief minister M.K. Stalin of doublespeak on the issue of languages, and wanting to turn the issues around it into a longer political campaign, looking at looming Assembly polls in the state.

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Mr. Chaudhary said that statements by Mr. Stalin, stating that he was prepared for a “language war” over the National Eduction Policy (NEP) and three language formula it espoused, amounted to a denial of opportunities to the youth of Tamil Nadu. “Mr Stalin himself knows four languages, and is multi lingual, why is he then determined to block the way for the youth?” he said. He also pointed out that talk of a language war does not square with the DMK’s ideological rhetoric. “You cannot keep saying that you are arbiters of liberal, progressive and constitutional values while at the same time exhibiting illiberalism with regard to langauge,” he said.

“I am also minister for skill development, and the Tamil Nadu government run Overseas Manpower Corporation Limited (OMCL) provides for free facilitation of learning languages like German and Italian to skilled personnel like nurses etc for jobs abroad. Why then this resistence to Indian languages and specifically Hindi,” he said. “Why cant these good practices with regard to multi lingualism be applied under NEP which is aimed at adoption of multiple languages,” he said.

He added that Mr. Stalin’s statements were clearly aimed at raising political passions around the issue of language, looking at the way this issue has unfolded in the past. “The statements are clearly meant to raise a longer political campaign around language,” he said. Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu are due in early 2026.

On the anxieties expressed by Mr. Stalin over delimitation reducing representation of southern states in terms of Lok Sabha seats and calling a meeting of southern states on March 5th, Mr. Chaudhary said that it was an effort to anticipate things that have not been decided as yet.

“Nothing has been decided, so why are assumptions being made on the results of delimitation? Whatever will be adopted in terms of delimitation will be the result of political dialogue in which all will participate,” he said.