Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin issued a strong warning on Sunday against the central government's alleged attempts to impose Hindi in the state. He firmly stated that Tamil Nadu would never accept the New Education Policy (NEP) or any form of Hindi imposition. Reaffirming the stance of Chief Minister MK Stalin, Udhayanidhi accused the Centre of trying to introduce Hindi "through the back door" via the NEP. He emphasized that Tamil Nadu remains steadfast in rejecting the NEP, delimitation, and any forced language policies.

"The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister is the one who brought the Metro Railway project to Chennai. He recently made it clear: we reject the NEP, we oppose delimitation, and we will not accept Hindi imposition. The Centre is now trying to impose Hindi indirectly through the NEP. But Tamil Nadu will never accept this. The DMK government is not afraid of threats from the central government because this is the DMK's regime, not AIADMK’s. MK Stalin is the Chief Minister, not Edappadi Palaniswami," Udhayanidhi declared.

Meanwhile, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan defended the NEP, emphasizing that it aims to promote all Indian languages equally. Speaking in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, he dismissed concerns of Hindi imposition, stating that the three-language policy does not mandate Hindi as the primary language.

"The NEP 2020 is designed to give importance to all Indian languages. Every language has equal status and should be taught uniformly. Some political groups in Tamil Nadu are opposing it for their own reasons. Nowhere in the NEP does it say that only Hindi will be taught," Pradhan clarified.

Tamil Nadu has been vocal in its opposition to the NEP 2020, particularly the three-language policy, arguing that it is an attempt to impose Hindi. CM MK Stalin has previously called on the people of Tamil Nadu to stand against delimitation and the three-language formula, warning that these policies could harm the state's representation and financial resources.

"Our rightful funds have already been withheld due to their three-language policy. And while they claim Tamil Nadu's parliamentary seats will not be reduced, they refuse to guarantee that other states' representation won’t increase disproportionately. Our demand is simple—parliamentary constituencies should not be determined by population alone. We will never compromise Tamil Nadu’s welfare and future. Tamil Nadu will resist! Tamil Nadu will prevail!" Stalin asserted.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from PTI.