BJP trying to hinder non-Hindi speakers’ education: DMK

CHENNAI: The ruling DMK has accused the BJP-led Union government of trying to hinder the education of non-Hindi speakers and destroy their language in course of time through the NEP (National Education Policy).

In its rebuttal to Union HRD (Human Resource Development) Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, DMK party mouthpiece ‘Murasoli’ on Wednesday said, “The BJP regime is engaged in the politics of imposing Hindi and Sanskrit. It exposes nothing but the party’s linguistic chauvinism. The BJP regime is only trying to do the politics of creating an India dominated by Hindi speakers. It is trying to sanskritize the country and reduce non-Hindi speakers to second class citizens. It is trying to hinder the education of non-Hindi speakers. It intends to destroy other languages in course of time.”

The ‘Murasoli’ editorial titled, “Not for political reasons” has been published in the backdrop of the Union Minister’s criticism that the NEP was being opposed for political reasons.

Taking exception to the minister’s remark, the DMK said, “There are a thousand ways to engage in politics. Even the BJP regime is a political regime without anything constructive. So, there is no need for anyone to engage in politics using education.”

Listing out the various schemes implemented by the State Education Department in the last year, mainly the Illam Thedi Kalvi scheme, the editorial wondered what is left for NEP to do in Tamil Nadu.

Pointing out that students are being taught till Class 12 in their mother tongue and students could learn in their mother tongue in arts and science and engineering colleges and all competitive exams conducted by the State government could be written in the mother tongue and Tamil has been made compulsory in TNPSC exams, the DMK mouthpiece sought to know what more importance could the NEP give for mother tongue than this.

“A cursory reading of the NEP would demonstrate that the priority being claimed to be given for mother tongue in the NEP is a farce, ” the DMK said, attributing Tamil Nadu’s growth to the two language policy (Tamil and English) in vogue.

Reasoning that the demand for higher education institutions has increased because of the growth of schools in the State, the DMK listed out the enviable position of TN institutions in the national ranking and said that the State has emerged as the education destination hub owing to the government’s initiatives in making everyone pursue higher education.

“What is there to complain about? Only Dharmendra Pradhan should explain what the NEP seeks to repair?” the DMK added.