21 hours ago
Last Updated:March 11, 2025, 18:39 IST
"Under the DMK rule, matriculation schools and CBSE schools have mushroomed where Tamil is not a compulsory subject at all," said S. Selvaganabathy, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Puducherry
(Left) DMK chief MK Stalin, BJP's S. Selvaganabathy. (PTI File/Instagram)
S. Selvaganabathy, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Puducherry, slammed the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, blaming it for three million students completing school education over the years without learning the alphabet in Tamil.
“There are some self-appointed champions of the Tamil language. They claim to be saviours of Tamil. Under the DMK rule, matriculation schools and CBSE schools have mushroomed where Tamil is not a compulsory subject at all. They are responsible for three million students completing school education without learning the alphabet in Tamil. This is pathetic. They must repent this total neglect for Tamil even for Tamil natives," Selvaganabathy said.
He said that since 1960, anti-Hindi sentiment has prevailed in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. “The opposition to the three-language formula stemmed from this sentiment. The three-language formula of NEP without compulsory Hindi is also opposed," the Puducherry MP said.
He pointed out that the three-language formula with compulsory Hindi was brought by the Congress governments in 1968, 1986 and 1992. “In the 2020 New Education Policy (NEP), Hindi is not being made compulsory. All other states follow the three-language formula except Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. I have a question to the champions of Tamil – NEP prescribes the mother tongue till Class 8. It was NEP that gave primacy to the mother tongue. Is this not a welcome development?" the BJP MP said.
Selvaganabathy also questioned if the opposition benches shared the same view on the three-language formula as the DMK. “Will the Congress say openly they want a two-language formula, will Rahul Gandhi agree to that? The Congress formulated the three-language formula. They follow the three-language formula in Karnataka. The Congress is a pan-India party, but pretends to support the two-language policy only in Tamil Nadu," the BJP MP said.
Dr M. Thambidurai of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) also slammed the DMK in the Rajya Sabha and said the DMK will lose in the Tamil Nadu elections in 2026. “Tamil Nadu follows the two-language formula. The AIADMK also supports it. The Congress was responsible for the three-language formula, it is the Congress which imposed Hindi. Why is the DMK continuing with Congress then? They are putting black shirts and coming and doing drama…you will lose in 2026," the senior AIADMK leader said.
Location : First Published:March 11, 2025, 18:38 IST
News politics ‘30 Lakh Students Didn’t Learn Tamil Because Of DMK’: BJP’s Puducherry MP Slams ‘Self-Appointed Champions’
