Tamil Nadu Government Stands Firm on Two-Language Policy, Rejects NEP Despite Fund Cuts

Tamil Nadu Government Stands Firm on Two-Language Policy, Rejects NEP Despite Fund Cuts

Chennai, March 14: The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led Tamil Nadu government has reaffirmed its commitment to the two-language policy despite the Union government’s decision to withhold funds for the Samagra Shiksha education scheme. Tamil Nadu’s Finance and Environment Minister Thangam Thennarasu, during his budget speech, declared that even if the state faced a loss of ₹2,000 crore, it would not compromise on its language policy.

The ongoing dispute between Tamil Nadu and the Union government over the National Education Policy (NEP) and the three-language formula has escalated, with the state maintaining that the policy is an indirect attempt to impose Hindi.

Tamil Nadu to Self-Fund School Education

Following Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s announcement in February 2025 that funds for states opposing the NEP would be withheld, Minister Thennarasu assured that Tamil Nadu would self-fund its School Education Department rather than comply with the Centre’s language policy.

The three-language policy—proposed under NEP 2020—requires schools to teach three languages, including Hindi, but Tamil Nadu has consistently rejected this approach. The state has upheld its traditional two-language system of teaching only Tamil and English, a stance it has maintained since 1968 when the DMK first opposed the imposition of Hindi.

Kanimozhi, MK Stalin Take on Centre Over NEP

During a Lok Sabha session on March 10, DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi reiterated that Tamil Nadu would never accept the NEP in its entirety. She also revealed that Chief Minister MK Stalin had written to the Union Education Minister and the Prime Minister, urging them to release education funds despite the state’s opposition to NEP.

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In response, Dharmendra Pradhan claimed that both Kanimozhi and Tamil Nadu’s School Education Minister, Anbil Mahesh, had agreed to fully implement NEP. However, CM Stalin countered these allegations, releasing a letter from Dharmendra Pradhan himself, which confirmed that Tamil Nadu had deliberately removed a paragraph related to NEP 2020 from a signed MoU.

Symbolic Move: Tamil Nadu Unveils Budget with Tamil Rupee Symbol

Amid the ongoing language row, the Tamil Nadu government made a symbolic statement by replacing the official Devanagari-based rupee symbol (₹) with a Tamil rupee symbol on the front cover of the state’s budget documents. This move highlights Tamil Nadu’s continued resistance against what it perceives as the Centre’s linguistic and cultural imposition.

What’s Next?

With Tamil Nadu refusing to back down, the battle over language policy and education funding is expected to intensify. The DMK government is now preparing for a legal and political showdown to ensure that Tamil Nadu’s education system remains free from external imposition. Meanwhile, all eyes are on whether the Union government will reconsider its stance on fund allocation amid growing opposition from the southern states.