Dharmendra Pradhan's comment on NEP sparks row; Lok Sabha adjourned

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s remarks in the Lok Sabha on Monday, criticising the Tamil Nadu government for refusing to implement the National Education Policy and doing a “U-turn” on the issue for “politics”, drew angry protests from the DMK, disrupting proceedings in the House. 

“They are dishonest and they are ruining the future of the students of Tamil Nadu ... they are misleading the people,” Pradhan said while replying to a query on the Centre not releasing funds for the PM Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme. 

Hitting back, the DMK said it had clearly told the minister "we cannot accept" the NEP "in full" and the three-language formula "is not acceptable to Tamil Nadu". It said the Centre cannot stop the release of budgetry allocation for education on the issue of implementing the NEP. 

 

Earlier in his reply, Pradhan said the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government has changed its stand on implementing the centrally-sponsored scheme PM SHRI which envisaged strengthening the schools managed by central, state or local bodies. 

DMK MP Kanimozhi condemned Pradhan for his remark and said the central minister's claim that CM Stalin has gone back on his word was a lie and it was meant to divert. Tamil Nadu MPs never told Pradhan that the state was ready to accept the NEP, 3-language policy. 

Tamil Nadu BJP leader K Annamalai said DMK MPs think they can always spread half-truths and untruths and scoot and did not expect to be exposed on the floor of the Parliament by Pradhan. 

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin slammed the Union Education Minister for his “arrogance” considering himself a king and asked him to control his tongue.

  Referring to Pradhan’s letter to him that outlined Tamil Nadu's rejection of the NEP, 3-language policy and PM SHRI MoU, he said the DMK government functioned by respecting the views of the people, unlike the BJP leaders who were bound by “words from Nagpur.”