Tamil Nadu NEP row: DMK, Oppn furious over edu min’s ‘uncivilised’ epithet

Several opposition members on 10 March, Monday, condemned remarks by union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan amid a row over the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) in Tamil Nadu, following which the Lok Sabha proceedings were briefly adjourned.

DMK members protested in Parliament over Pradhan's remarks that the Tamil Nadu government was "dishonest" in implementing the PM Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme. The education minister later withdrew his remarks.

Replying to a question on the PM SHRI scheme, Pradhan said the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government had changed its stand on implementing the centrally sponsored scheme which envisaged strengthening the schools managed by central, state or local bodies.

The state concerned has to sign an MoU with the central government that it will implement the NEP 2020. In return, the central government provides the funds.

DMK MP Kanimozhi said the MPs were speaking to the party leaders about moving a privilege motion against the minister over the issue.

"Today one of our members raised an important issue from Tamil Nadu that the Union government has not released funds saying that unless govt agrees to sign NEP and accepts the three-language policy, funds more than Rs 2,000 crore will not be released for our school-going children. The minister in response said our MPs had agreed to sign the MoU which is far from fact," she told reporters in the Parliament complex.

Kanimozhi said the DMK government had raised concerns over NEP and refused complete acceptance of the policy.

"They (central government) should not link funds for school education with NEP implementation. We have not changed our stand... the minister called us liars and uncivilised.

"He hurt our pride... We are not against any language but you cannot call us uncivilised... We are speaking to our leaders about moving a privilege motion," added Kanimozhi.

Pradhan had earlier accused the Tamil Nadu government of "ruining the future of the students" in the state for politics, drawing a sharp retort from chief mMinister M K Stalin, who asked him to "control his tongue".

"They are dishonest and ruining the future of the students of Tamil Nadu... They are misleading the people... They are doing politics," Pradhan of the Stalin government, which has said it will not tolerate 'Hindi colonialism' replacing British colonialism.

In the midst of the anger over Pradhan's remarks, Kanimozhi also had a sharp exchange of words with Trinamool Congress' Kalyan Banerjee.

It started with Banerjee rising to speak on the voters' list issue during Zero Hour and DMK members, including Kanimozhi, protesting and demanding that their party MP Sumathy be permitted to discuss the alleged attack on federalism through the implementation of NEP 2020 and its three-language formula.

Banerjee asked the protesting members to let him speak and proceeded with his remarks amid continued protests by the DMK.

As the protests became more vociferous after Banerjee had spoken, there was a sharp exchange of words between him and Kanimozhi, with NCP (SP)'s Supriya Sule taking Kanimozhi to her seat and saying something in her ear.

Meanwhile, Congress MP Mallu Ravi said equal respect must be given to people of South India.

"Today while replying to some question, the education minister made a very unparliamentary comment about a state. He said Tamilians are uncivilised," Ravi said.

The Congress member said this word shows the BJP government's thinking about India, which is condemnable.

"We all have raised our voice against it... We want equal respect for all people in south India, particularly Tamil Nadu... Instead of answering properly, he (Pradhan) commented Tamilians are uncivilised people," Ravi said.

Several DMK MPs also raised slogans of "stop the victimisation of south Indian states".

Congress' Karti Chidambaram said there was societal and political unanimity in Tamil Nadu about non-acceptance of the three-language policy.

"Tamil Nadu will never accept the imposition of Hindi. We are well served by the two-language formula. There is societal and political unanimity in Tamil Nadu... in rejecting NEP which imposes third language. The BJP will be rejected time and again in Tamil Nadu," he told reporters.

The Tamil Nadu government and the Centre have been at loggerheads over the implementation of the new NEP and the three-language formula.

Shortly after Pradhan's comments in Parliament, Stalin took to social media to launch a scathing attack against the union minister, who he accused of speaking with "arrogance as if he was a king" and asked him to "control his tongue".

"You are deceiving Tamil Nadu by withholding its rightful funds, yet you call Tamil Nadu MPs uncivilised? You are insulting the people of Tamil Nadu. Does the hon’ble prime minister, Thiru Narendra Modi accepts this?" he asked.  

Referring to Pradhan's letter to him that outlined Tamil Nadu's rejection of the NEP, three-language policy and PM SHRI MoU, he said the DMK government functioned by respecting the views of the people, unlike the BJP leaders who were bound by "words from Nagpur" (indicating the BJP's umbilical tie to the RSS).

"Just answer if you could release the funds rightfully meant for Tamil Nadu students, which have been collected from our own tax contributions, or not?" the chief minister said in a social media post responding to the central minister.

Based on PTI inputs