Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP Kanimozhi on Monday submitted a privilege notice against Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, accusing him of “breach of Parliamentary privilege.” The move comes after Pradhan made controversial remarks about DMK MPs in the Lok Sabha and alleged that the Tamil Nadu government had taken a U-turn on the PM SHRI scheme during a discussion on the National Education Policy.In her notice, Kanimozhi dismissed Pradhan’s claim as “factually incorrect” and accused him of “misleading the House.””The Hon’ble Minister claimed that the Tamil Nadu government had initially agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the PM SHRI scheme but later reversed its stance. This statement is misleading, inaccurate, and contradicts official records,” she stated.Referring to the remarks made by Pradhan—some of which were later withdrawn—Kanimozhi alleged that he used “intemperate language” and made “baseless accusations” against DMK MPs and their allies.”The Hon’ble Minister used terms such as ‘mislead,’ ‘dishonest,’ ‘undemocratic,’ and ‘uncivilised’ to describe me and my parliamentary colleagues from Tamil Nadu. Such comments not only target elected representatives but also reflect on the people of the state,” she asserted.The matter is now expected to be reviewed by the Lok Sabha Speaker for further action.Pradhan made the comments after DMK MPs raised concerns over the Centre withholding Rs 2,000 crore under the Samagra Shiksha scheme, citing Tamil Nadu’s refusal to sign an MoU for the PM SHRI scheme due to its opposition to the National Education Policy (NEP) and the three-language formula.The Lok Sabha was briefly adjourned after several opposition members condemned the remarks.
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