New Delhi [India], March 14 : Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai reiterated the party's stance on the three-language policy on Thursday, saying that while the people of the state do not want a third language imposed upon them, they are open to learning one voluntarily.
His remarks come amid ongoing debates over language policy in Tamil Nadu.
"We are continuously saying that there is a need for a third language. More than 14 lakh people have signed in the signature language. People of Tamil Nadu don't want a compulsory third language which is pushed on them, like Hindi - which Congress did in 1965," Annamalai told ANI.
He further said, "People willingly want to learn a third language, which is optional. Tamil Nadu is ready; only the DMK is not ready. All the private schools run by the DMK teach a third language; they teach Hindi. Why do they not want the Government school students to learn a third language?"
Earlier, he asserted that the party's signature campaign promoting the three-language policy would transform the fate of Tamil people. He announced that the BJP aims to collect one crore signatures by May 31 as part of the initiative. "The signature campaign advocating the three-language policy organised by the BJP will change the fate of every Tamil person. We have fixed May 31 to complete one crore signatures," said Annamalai.
DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai on Thursday criticized the BJP-led Central government's push for the three-language policy under the National Education Policy (NEP), stating that Tamil Nadu students do not need a third language.
"Nobody needs to study a third language. The BJP is trying to trivialise this issue. It will be good for the students of this entire country if the BJP scraps the third language. People in North India don't even study two languages. Why is Annamalai hell-bent on imposing a third language on the students?" Annadurai told ANI.
Annadurai accused the BJP of imposing a third language as part of a "sinister agenda" to exclude Tamil Nadu students from the education system.
"There is a sinister agenda behind this. They want to find ways to filter out Tamil Nadu students from the education system. The RSS doesn't want the Indian masses to be educated. They want all these people to be trained in vocational courses. They want plumbers, carpenters, cobblers. Please consign this third language to the dustbin," Annadurai said.
Earlier, on Wednesday, BJP leader N Ramchander Rao launched a scathing attack on DMK and CPM over the three language policy and alleged that they are trying to divide the country into North and South.
Rao asked what provisions in the New Education Policy impose Hindi or any other language. Attacking the CPM-led Kerala government, Rao stated that they have joined DMK's band to oppose the "Hindi imposition".
The BJP leader stated that their tactics are "divisive" and "anti-national."
"... The regional parties like DMK and CPM are making language a major issue in the southern politics. The Kerala government has joined DMK's band and is claiming that they are not opposed to the three-language formula, but they are against Hindi imposition. I would like to ask these parties: Where is the order in the NEP that imposes Hindi on anyone?... DMK and CPI-M are trying to divide the country into North and South, and Hindi and other languages... Their tactics are divisive and anti-national," Rao told ANI.
A political row has erupted between the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government over the three-language policy and the National Education Policy (NEP).
Earlier, Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin said that the people of the State would give a befitting reply to those who criticised them and called them "uncivilized".
Alleging that the Union government has insulted Tamil Nadu, Udhayanidhi Stalin stated that those who called them "uncivilised" are actually behaving in an "uncivilized manner."
Udhayanidhi said, "The Union government insults Tamil Nadu and Periyar. Are we uncivilized? Those who call us uncivilized are, in fact, behaving in an uncivilized manner and making remarks against us. Tamil people will give a befitting reply very soon."
His remarks followed statements made in Parliament by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman recently.
In her speech on Tuesday, Sitharaman accused Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK of worshipping a man who once dismissed Tamil as a "barbaric" language. She, however, did not mention the name of EV Ramasamy or Thanthai Periyar, the architects of the Dravidian movement.
Tamil Nadu Minister Palanivel Thiagarajan said that implementing the Centre's new education policy is impossible as there is no funding or infrastructure to support it.
Slamming the New Education Policy 2020, Thiagarajan said that it is like teaching an "LKG student" and a "higher education student" in the same way.
He further claimed that the education policies introduced after 1968 recommended learning South Indian languages. However, due to the lack of qualified teachers, this policy failed in Hindi-speaking states within 20 years.
Annamalai responded to Thiagarajan's criticism, claiming that Thiagarajan's own sons studied English and a foreign language. Annamalai asked him why they were doing "drama" to stop the implementation of the policy.
Defending the three-language policy, Annamalai stated that this national policy will provide government school students with the opportunity to learn a third Indian language, along with Tamil and English, or a foreign language at the higher levels.
Earlier on Wednesday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin launched a scathing attack on the central government, labeling the National Education Policy (NEP) as a "saffronized policy" aimed at promoting Hindi rather than developing India, alleging that the policy threatens to destroy Tamil Nadu's education system.
However, the Central government maintains that the NEP aims to promote multilingualism and flexibility in language education.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has denied allegations of Hindi imposition, stating that the policy allows states to choose their own languages.
Pradhan also challenged the DMK on the issue, posting on X on Tuesday, alleging that raking the language issue was a diversionary tactic from MK Stalin.
"I stand by my statement made in Parliament and am sharing the consent letter from the Tamil Nadu School Education Department dated 15th March 2024. DMK MPs and Hon'ble CM can stack lies as high as they want, but the truth does not bother knocking when it comes crashing down. The DMK dispensation led by Hon'ble CM Stalin has a lot to answer to the people of Tamil Nadu. Raking the language issue as a diversionary tactic and denying facts as per their convenience will not shield their governance and welfare deficit," he posted on X.