‘You’re insulting people of Tamil Nadu’ – Stalin’s clap back at Dharmendra Pradhan as NEP debate escalates

“Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who speaks with arrogance as if he were a king, needs to watch his words!” Stalin wrote in a fiery rebuttal on social media. “You are withholding Tamil Nadu’s rightful funds and deceiving us, yet you call Tamil Nadu MPs uncivilised? You are insulting the people of Tamil Nadu. Does Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi approve of this?”

The controversy stems from Tamil Nadu’s refusal to implement the NEP, a sweeping overhaul of India’s education system that has been opposed by several non-BJP-ruled states — including Karnataka and Kerala. Critics call the NEP an attempt to impose a uniform national curriculum at the expense of regional languages and state autonomy.

In his Lok Sabha address, Pradhan alleged that Tamil Nadu had initially agreed to sign the MoU for PM SHRI schools—a scheme meant to establish “exemplar” institutions showcasing NEP principles—but later withdrew after modifying the agreement to exclude key sections on NEP implementation. The Union minister argued that this reversal amounted to bad faith politics, obstructing students’ access to funds and educational reforms.

“They are dishonest and they are ruining the future of the students of Tamil Nadu,” Pradhan said, drawing protests from DMK MPs, who disrupted the proceedings before Speaker Om Birla adjourned the House.

But Stalin countered that the Centre was linking the release of essential education funds to Tamil Nadu’s compliance with a policy it has outright rejected. “Wasn’t it you who wrote to me confirming that the Tamil Nadu government had completely rejected NEP, the three-language policy, and the PM SHRI MoU?” Stalin demanded in his statement. “Mr. Pradhan, we act only according to the will of the people! Unlike you, we do not follow orders from Nagpur.”

The DMK government has been a vocal opponent of NEP since the beginning, with Stalin repeatedly branding it as an imposition of the BJP’s ideological agenda. In August 2023, he wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging the Centre to expedite the release of Tamil Nadu’s share under the Samagra Shiksha scheme—a central initiative supporting school education—without linking it to PM SHRI compliance.

Documents now revealed by Stalin show that while Tamil Nadu had initially submitted an undertaking in March 2024 indicating willingness to sign the MoU, the state later returned a modified version in July, dropping the requirement for full NEP implementation. A letter from Pradhan’s office dated August 2024 acknowledges the state’s decision to reject NEP and the three-language formula, yet the Centre has continued to pressure Tamil Nadu over the issue.

The DMK has historically resisted attempts to introduce Hindi in Tamil Nadu’s education system, a position that gained momentum under the leadership of former Chief Minister C N Annadurai and later M Karunanidhi. Stalin has maintained that the NEP’s emphasis on Sanskrit and Hindi sidelines regional languages like Tamil, making its implementation in the state untenable.

The larger question now is whether the Centre will release Tamil Nadu’s share of funds for school education without tying them to NEP compliance. Stalin, in his statement, put Pradhan on the spot with a direct challenge: “Now, answer this one simple question—Can you release the funds rightfully due to Tamil Nadu’s students, which you collected as taxes from us, or not?” Stalin asked Monday.