Dismissing concerns of linguistic imposition, the minister said that the NEP upholds linguistic freedom and aims to revive the teaching of Indian languages, including Tamil, which he said had been sidelined over the years. He also defended the three-language policy, stating that it had been part of India’s education framework since 1968 but was never fully implemented, leading to an over-reliance on foreign languages.Pradhan accused Tamil Nadu of misrepresenting the NEP to sustain political narratives and said that many non-BJP states had implemented its policies despite political differences. He argued that rejecting the policy goes against the spirit of cooperative federalism and urged Stalin to look beyond political considerations for the benefit of students.The letter comes amid a heated exchange between the Centre and Tamil Nadu over the NEP. Recently, Stalin had accused Pradhan of “blackmail” after the minister linked the release of education funds to the implementation of the policy. Stalin challenged the Centre’s stance, arguing that education falls under the Concurrent List and that Tamil Nadu’s demand for funds was a right, not a favour.
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