Want things done your way? Do better than us: DMK Minister's dare to Centre
India Today
Speaking at India Today's Tamil Nadu Roundtable, Tamil Nadu IT Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan clarified that the DMK government is not opposed to Hindi as a language, but to what it calls its imposition through policy.
Tamil Nadu IT and Digital Services Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan on Wednesday mounted a sharp defence of the state’s language policy, daring the Centre to “do better” if it wants Tamil Nadu to reconsider its stand on the three-language formula under the National Education Policy (NEP). He made the remarks while speaking at India Today's Tamil Nadu Roundtable event.
When asked about the three-language formula, the Minister clarified that the DMK government is not opposed to Hindi as a language, but to what it calls its imposition through policy.
“We are anti-Hindi imposition, not anti-Hindi. We are anti NEET, and anti anybody trying to tell us what exam we should conduct to filter or select our applicants, who are our children, going to our colleges funded with our money, in a system which is by far the most superior health system than any state in India,” he said.
“If someone wants us to even contemplate listening to them, they have to do things better than us.
The Minister’s remarks come amid Tamil Nadu’s continued opposition to the three-language formula under the National Education Policy (NEP), which the state argues places a disproportionate burden on non-Hindi-speaking regions. The DMK has consistently maintained that its two-language policy — Tamil and English — has effectively served students and aligns with the state’s educational and cultural priorities.
Further in his remarks, Thiaga Rajan questioned why Tamil Nadu should alter its long-standing two-language policy to align with what he described as a system favouring Hindi-speaking states.
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