Before the assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, controversy regarding Hindi has started once again. There was a debate on this issue between Chief Minister MK Stalin and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. While attacking the Central Government on the new education policy, CM Stalin had said that this is not an education reform but an attempt to spread Hindi throughout the country in a clever way. Responding to this, Dharmendra Pradhan said that the talk of ‘imposing Hindi’ is old and tired politics. Hindi has not been made mandatory in NEP, this is Stalin’s misinterpretation.
This matter pertains to the National Education Policy 2020, which has been implemented by the Central Government. In this education policy, there is a rule for primary students – three language formula, that is, school children will have to learn three languages. Of these, it is mandatory to have two Indian languages. The states of South India accuse the central government of trying to impose Hindi on them through the new education policy.
What did CM Stalin say on the new education policy?
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK Chief MK Stalin posted on X that this is not an education reform but an attempt to spread Hindi across the country in a clever way. He questioned why this rule is one-sided? Children in the South have to learn Hindi, but in Hindi speaking states, Tamil or Telugu is taught? The answer is no.
Stalin alleged that there are not enough teachers to teach Tamil in central schools. Then it does not seem right to advise others to learn Indian languages. DMK Chief said that this policy is being forcefully imposed without money and without prepared teachers. This will also lead to loss of jobs. Children from Hindi speaking states will benefit and children from other states will be left behind.
Hon’ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Thiru @mkstalin ji, your narrative of “imposition” is a tired attempt to mask political failures. The National Education Policy 2020 is, in fact, a manifesto for linguistic liberation. It prioritizes the mother tongue so every Tamil child can… https://t.co/DhDP5ECM4e
— Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) April 4, 2026
Dharmendra Pradhan gave this answer to Stalin
Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan responded to the allegations made by Tamil Nadu CM. He said that the issue of imposing Hindi is old and tired politics. Hindi has not been made mandatory in the new education policy, this is Stalin’s misinterpretation. He said that NEP gives every child a chance to study in his own mother tongue.
The Education Minister said that under the rule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Tamil language has received a lot of respect at the national level. Events like Kashi Tamil Sangamam are living examples of this. Hitting back at Stalin, Pradhan said that the real hindrance in the development of children is the DMK government itself. Tamil Nadu had promised to sign an agreement to build good schools, but later reneged. Even after the order of the Supreme Court, Navodaya schools are not being allowed to be built in Tamil Nadu.