DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai strongly criticized the BJP-led central government’s three-language policy under the National Education Policy (NEP), urging that the third language requirement be discarded. Annadurai stated, “Nobody needs to study a third language. Please throw this third language in the dustbin,” accusing the BJP of trivializing the issue.
Speaking to ANI, Annadurai argued that there was no need to force students, particularly in Tamil Nadu, to learn a third language. He pointed out that people in North India often do not even study two languages, questioning why BJP leaders like K Annamalai were insistent on imposing this policy.
He further accused the BJP of a “sinister agenda” aimed at marginalizing Tamil Nadu students from the national education system, suggesting that the RSS wanted to limit education to vocational courses rather than academic learning. “They want to train people as plumbers, carpenters, and cobblers. Please consign this third language to the dustbin,” Annadurai asserted.
The criticism came amid growing opposition to the NEP, with Congress leader V Hanumantha Rao also voicing concern over the BJP’s policies. Rao condemned the imposition of Hindi and the potential impact of delimitation, claiming it unfairly served the interests of North India while disadvantaging South India. He called for unity among parties to support Tamil Nadu’s efforts led by Chief Minister MK Stalin.
Earlier this week, CM Stalin accused the central government of pushing a “saffronized” education policy, which he claimed was designed to promote Hindi rather than to develop India as a whole. Stalin voiced concerns over the policy’s potential to disrupt Tamil Nadu’s education system and criticized the withholding of funds to pressure the state into adopting the NEP.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has denied the allegations of Hindi imposition, asserting that the NEP allows states the flexibility to choose their own languages. Pradhan further challenged CM Stalin, accusing him of using the language issue as a diversionary tactic from other governance shortcomings.