Chennai, 23 February (H.S.) : Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party president K Annamalai has accused certain political parties of creating unnecessary controversy and trying to divide the country on the basis of language. His comments come amidst an ongoing dispute between the Tamil Nadu government and the central government over the National Education Policy (NEP).

Annamalai's remarks were directed at the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), which has alleged that the union government is trying to impose Hindi over non-Hindi speaking states. Annamalai emphasized that the NEP does not recommend the imposition of any language on students, and that they can choose to study any Indian language they prefer.

The dispute began when Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan stated that funds for the 'Samagra Shiksha' program would not be released until the 'three language policy' of the NEP is implemented in Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK chief M K Stalin wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the issue, sparking a heated debate over language policy.

Pradhan has since clarified that the NEP aims to promote linguistic and cultural heritage from states like Tamil Nadu, and that entrance examinations are conducted in 13 major languages, including Tamil. Despite this, the DMK has continued to attack the central government over the issue, alleging that it is trying to impose Hindi on non-Hindi speaking states.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Dr. R. B. Chaudhary