CHENNAI: State BJP leader K Annamalai on Friday dared State Higher Minister K Ponmudy for one-on-one debate over three language policy.

The DMK should stop giving Hindi imposition colour to the three-language policy. Under the New Education Policy, learning Hindi is not mandatory.

Meanwhile, it mandates learning the mother tongue, Annamalai said.

“The NEP mandated learning one's mother tongue. Will he deny this?" asked the BJP leader and challenged the minister for a debate over three-language policy.

Pointing out minister Ponmudy remark on whether the BJP state president was supporting a three-language policy, Annamalai said it is an attempt to divert the issue and veer it into linguistic issue.

"Personally, the school in which my son is studying is teaching three languages. I wish my son to learn at least five languages before he turns 20 years old. Similarly, I want other students to learn more languages," he said.

Learning multiple languages is the need of the hour and the children in the State should learn as many languages as possible.

However, the leaders of the ruling party are resorting to diverting the issue over the suspending the Tamil medium engineering courses. The government revoked the decision after the BJP red-flagged the issue.