‘Imaginary concerns; NEP not imposing…’: Education Minister condemns Stalin’s letter to PM Modi

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday lashed out at Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin’s letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that it was fueled by political motives and based on "imaginary concern."

New Delhi: In a significant rebuke, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday lashed out at Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin’s letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that it was fueled by political motives and based on “imaginary concern.” Addressing a press conference, Pradhan emphasized that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is not imposing any language on a state.”One point I want to re-emphasize is that the NEP is not recommending imposition of any language on the respective students of a state. That means, in no way the NEP is recommending imposition of Hindi in Tamil Nadu,” Dharmendra Pradhan asserted.

‘Imaginary concerns; NEP not imposing…’: Education Minister condemns Stalin’s letter to PM Modi

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan stated, “Through social media, I came to know that Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin has written a letter to PM Narendra Modi. He has not written the letter in good spirit. He has mentioned few imaginary concerns through that letter and his letter is full of political motivation and looking into his own political convenience, he has written that letter.”

Sharing a post on X, Pradhan wrote, “Highly inappropriate for a State to view NEP 2020 with a myopic vision and use threats to sustain political narratives. Hon’ble PM @narendramodi ji’s govt. is fully committed to promote and popularise the eternal Tamil culture and language globally. I humbly appeal to not politicise education and rise above political differences in the best interest of our students.”

Highly inappropriate for a State to view NEP 2020 with a myopic vision and use threats to sustain political narratives.

Hon’ble PM @narendramodi ji’s govt. is fully committed to promote and popularise the eternal Tamil culture and language globally. I humbly appeal to not… pic.twitter.com/aw06cVCyAP

— Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) February 21, 2025

He stressed that the core objective of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is to bring global standards to education, and simultaneously, it has to be rooted in India. “It has to promote linguistic and cultural heritage from states like Tamil Nadu. The Government of India is conducting all the entrance examinations in all major 13 languages and one among them is Tamil also,” he was quoted as saying by the news agency ANI.

The Union Education Minister stressed further that Prime Minister Modi’s government is committed to glorifying Tamil Nadu’s language and heritage. Dharmendra Pradhan added, “PM Modi announced India’s first Thiruvallur cultural centre in Singapore to promote Tamil thoughts globally. This is our commitment. Since 1968, successive governments have implemented a language formula in the education sector. By not implementing NEP 2020, we are depriving students, teachers and parents of the global opportunity. Education should not be politicized. Even many non-BJP states are implementing the NEP. They are taking all the cooperation from the Centre.”

மாண்புமிகு பிரதமர் @narendramodi அவர்களே…#NEP2020-ஐ முழுமையாக நடைமுறைப்படுத்தி, மும்மொழிக் கொள்கையை ஏற்றால்தான் எங்கள் தமிழ்நாட்டு மாணவர்களுக்கான #SamagraShiksha நிதி ஒதுக்கப்படும் என்பது எவ்விதத்தில் நியாயம்?

தமிழ் மக்களின் உணர்வுகளுக்கு மதிப்பில்லையா?

இருவேறு… pic.twitter.com/k1pwb9T6dT

— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) February 20, 2025

This comes after Mr. Stalin’s appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi just a day earlier, where the Tamil Nadu leader objected to Dharmendra Pradhan’s warning that the state must adhere to the NEP’s three-language policy or risk losing central funds allocated for the education sector.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin had written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the release of ‘Samagra Shiksha’ funds for the state.

The letter mentioned Stalin’s concerns regarding Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s statement where he mentioned that Tamil Nadu’s ‘Samagra Shiksha’ funds will not be released until the state implements the ‘three language’ policy mentioned in NEP 2020. The incumbent Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) led government has constantly attacked the Central government regarding the imposition of the Hindi language in the state and has stated that the Centre isn’t releasing funds to implement the NEP.

(With ANI Inputs)