Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has taken a strong stand against the National Education Policy (NEP), condemning its potential impact on the state's education system and criticizing Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan for his insulting remarks directed at the Tamil people. On March 11, 2025, during a welfare assistance distribution ceremony near Chennai, Stalin reiterated the DMK government's unwavering opposition to the NEP, asserting it threatens to privatize education and hinder opportunities for students.
Stalin highlighted Tamil Nadu's economic progress, declaring, "Tamil Nadu has become India's second most economically developed state. If there were no hurdles, our Tamil Nadu growth would have been muchbetter." He attributed the hurdles to the alleged imposition of the NEP by the central government, which he believes is detrimental to the state's educational framework.
The Chief Minister expressed grave concerns over the centre's pressure tactics, alleging they are offering ₹2000 crores of education funds to Tamil Nadu only on the condition of accepting the NEP’s controversial triple language policy, which includes Hindi and Sanskrit. "We will not accept the National Education Policy. I repeat, not only ₹2000 crores, even if you give 100,000 crores, we will not accept this hazardous NEP scheme," he declared emphatically, demonstrating his determination to resist what he describes as harmful policies.
Pradhan, who had previously made remarks regarded as derogatory, allegedly described Tamils as uncivilized. Responding to this, Stalin noted, "Yesterday, Dharmendra Pradhan said Tamils are uncivilized without controlling his tongue. But after his speech, in half an hour, our Tamil Nadu MPs made him take back his words," praising his party colleagues for their quick response to the insult.
The episode highlights the increasing political friction between Tamil Nadu’s leadership and the BJP-led central government, with Stalin accusing the Centre of "blackmailing" the state with financial incentives. He asserted, "Making education privatized, making higher education only for the rich... would give more rights to the union government in education."
Adding to his critique, Stalin labeled the NEP as ‘Hindi colonialism,’ linking the current opposition to Hindi imposition with historical resistance dating back to pre-Independence. He mentioned, "The tree may prefer calm, but the wind will not subside. He forgot his place and dared to threaten an entire state to accept #HindiImposition, and now he faces the consequences of reviving a fight he can never win." He emphasized, "Tamil Nadu will not be blackmailed to surrendering."
Simultaneously, Stalin's anti-Hindi stand has sparked unusual waves of trolling on social media, with the BJP taking the opportunity to highlight what they term as hypocrisy within the DMK concerning the three-language policy. A viral parody video, shared by BJP’s Annamalai, mocks Stalin and his family for their opposition to the three-language policy. This 180-second video garnered over 100,000 views on social media, portraying the DMK’s leaders as hypocritical, juxtaposing their public ideological positions with the educational choices made for their own children.
Some of the video's biting lyrics playfully challenge the DMK leaders, stating, "Your children are in foreign countries and it's three-language policy for you. Your son is in Singapore; we don’t have rice," to drive home the disparity between the leaders’ political rhetoric and personal realities. The critique is underscored by references to prominent DMK figures, including Kanimozhi and Udhayanidhi, whose children have pursued education abroad.
This trolling incident is not isolated but points to long-standing tensions surrounding language policy in Tamil Nadu, dating back to protests against the imposition of Hindi during the 1930s. Today, under the leadership of MK Stalin, DMK remains adamantly opposed to NEP 2020’s promotion of three languages, reaffirming their commitment to regional languages and education sovereignty.
The controversy continues to develop, particularly as Stalin defends Tamil Nadu’s educational integrity against perceived central interference. He argues, "The NEP is redundant in Tamil Nadu as the state has already achieved what the policy aims to do by 2030. This is like an LKG student lecturing a PhD holder. Dravidam does not take dictations from Delhi. Instead, it sets the course for the nation to follow.”
While the political tension between Tamil Nadu's government and the Centre boils over, the conversation around education, language policy, and regional identity is set to remain at the forefront. The DMK’s defiance against the NEP and the rising social media trolling only reflect the broader struggles over the future of Tamil Nadu’s education system and its cultural priorities.