Amid NEP row, PM bats for education in ‘all languages’: 'There's never been animosity...'

Amid the Centre vs Tamil Nadu government faceoff over the three-language mandate under the National Education Policy (NEP), Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday asserted that there has never been any animosity between languages of India since they influence and enrich each other.

PM Modi was delivering an address at the 98th Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan at Vigyan Bhavan in Delhi.

"There has never been any animosity among Indian languages. Languages have always influenced and enriched each other. Often, when efforts are made to create divisions based on language, our shared linguistic heritage provides a strong counterargument. It is our social responsibility to distance ourselves from these misconceptions and to embrace and enrich all languages. That is why today we are looking at all the languages of the country as mainstream languages," news agency PTI quoted PM Modi.

The prime minister said that the government was “promoting education in all major languages”, including Marathi. PM Modi added that the efforts being made by the government to change the mindset that divests talent due to a lack of English proficiency.

"We are promoting education in all major languages , including Marathi. The youth of Maharashtra can easily pursue higher education, engineering, and medical studies in Marathi. We have changed the mindset that overlooked talent due to a lack of English proficiency. We all say that literature is the mirror of society. It also guides society's direction. Therefore, literary conferences and institutions connected to literature play a very important role in the country," PM Modi said.

Tamil Nadu vs Centre on NEP 2020

The statement of PM Modi, though not directly aimed at, but comes amid the ongoing political slugfest between the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government and Centre over NEP's three-language policy.

The controversy stems from implementation of the 'three language' - policy - Hindi, English and a regional language - mentioned in NEP 2020.

Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday asked the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government to “rise above politics” over the language row involving the BJP-led Centre and the ruling party of the southern state.

The regional party, meanwhile, hit back saying it won't budge from its two-language policy.

Dharmendra Pradhan wrote to Tamil Nadu chief minister and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) supremo MK Stalin, asking him to rise above political differences and think about the interests of young learners who will benefit from the new National Education Policy (NEP), according to a news agency PTI report.

Pradhan was responding to a letter CM Stalin wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday. The DMK indicated Tamil Nadu was being asked to implement NEP and the three-language policy involving Hindi in return for its due share of central funds.

‘Hindi imposition’ issue

Dharmendra Pradhan reportedly accused the Tamil Nadu chief minister of "spinning progressive reforms into threats to sustain political narratives".

The issue of alleged “Hindi imposition” has been a contentious subject in Tamil Nadu, and the DMK successfully led a massive anti-Hindi agitation in 1965 during which a number of pro-Tamil activists killed themselves, mostly by self-immolation, against imposition of the language.

Pradhan said the letter sent to PM by Stalin “is a complete negation of the spirit of cooperative federalism promoted by Modi government”.

"Hence, it is inappropriate for the state to view NEP 2020 with a myopic vision and spin progressive educational reforms into threats to sustain their political narratives," PTI quoted Pradhan.

"The continued opposition to NEP 2020 for political reasons deprives students, teachers, and educational institutions in Tamil Nadu of the immense opportunities and resources that this policy offers. The policy is designed to be flexible, allowing states to customise its implementation to suit their unique educational needs," the minister wrote in his letter.

On Tamil Nadu's opposition to the three-language formula, Dharmendra Pradhan emphasised that the policy does not advocate the “imposition” of any language. "I would, therefore, request you to rise above political differences and look into the matter holistically keeping in mind the interest of our young learners," Pradhan told Stalin in his letter.

Responding to Pradhan, TN deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin asserted the state will only follow the two-language policy, i.e. Tamil and English, adding that the state was seeking only its due share of funds from the Centre from the taxes paid by it.