DMK MPs led by Kanimozhi staged a demonstration wearing black dresses in Parliament premises on Tuesday against Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s remarks accusing the southern party of ruining the future of students.
The row erupted on Monday in the Lower House when DMK MPs protested Pradhan’s remarks, finding fault with the Tamil Nadu government for refusing to implement the National Education Policy and accusing it of doing a “U-turn” on the issue for “politics”.
Pradhan has accused the DMK of ruining the future of students by opposing the NEP and called the party MPs “uncivilised”. The DMK has accused the BJP-led central government of imposing Hindi through the three-language policy.
Speaking on the issue, DMK MP Kanimozhi demanded that the minister apologize for his “abusive” remarks.
“Yesterday, he responded in a very abusive way, saying that we are dishonest and that the people of Tamil Nadu are uncivilised. This is not the language we expect him to be speaking. This is totally undemocratic. We expect an apology,” she said.
The DMK MP alleged that the central government was using financial resources as leverage to impose the three-language policy on Tamil Nadu.
“The Union Government is withholding the money that has to be given to Tamil Nadu, saying that we have to sign the three-language policy and the NEP. They are ruining the future of the children of Tamil Nadu. They have no right to withhold the funds which have to come to the children of Tamil Nadu,” added Kanimozhi.
Meanwhile, the Opposition parties have also come out in support of the DMK, with Congress and TMC slamming the minister for his remarks.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) lawmaker Kalyan Banerjee joined the DMK’s demand for an apology and called for Pradhan’s removal from the Union Cabinet.
“The language that has been used by Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is unexpected. A central minister using such a language for the people of Tamil Nadu has downgraded the people of the state. Either he should seek an apology in the House, or he should be removed as a minister from the cabinet. PM Modi should hear what his ministers are doing…TMC stands in support of the DMK and the people of Tamil Nadu,” Banerjee said.
Congress MP Karti Chidambaram also weighed in on the language debate, reiterating Tamil Nadu’s long-standing opposition to the three-language formula.
“Tamil Nadu is very clear that a two-language curriculum serves us very well. Tamil preserves our identity and is our mother tongue; English is our link language to the world of commerce and science… we don’t need a third compulsory language,” he said.