While the M K Stalin-led DMK has slammed the Centre for “imposition of Hindi through the three-language formula of the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, INDIA bloc ally Congress has maintained a stoic silence on the issue so far and is still seemingly “weighing its options”. With the second half of the Budget session of Parliament due to begin on March 10, it would be interesting to see if INDIA bloc constituents would be on the same page over the issue. What is the ‘language row’ and how was it triggered? Controversy erupted after the Stalin-led Tamil Nadu government claimed that the Centre had withheld funds related to the Samagra Shiksha scheme due to the state’s refusal to implement the NEP. In a strongly worded letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week, the Tamil Nadu CM sought the release of Rs 2,152 crore in regard to the centrally sponsored scheme, which is aimed at supporting the provisions of the Right to Education (RTE) Act. At the heart of the row was the clash over the “three-language formula”. While the Centre maintains that the NEP is aimed at ensuring employment for youth across regions, Tamil Nadu has long viewed it as an attempt to “impose” Hindi on the state. Tamil Nadu has almost a century-old history of anti-Hindi agitations. Unlike most states, including southern ones like Kerala and Karnataka, Tamil Nadu implements a two-language system in which students are taught Tamil and English. Congress’ Virudhunagar MP and the party’s whip in the Lok Sabha, Manickam Tagore said Union Education Minister Dharemdra Pradhan’s “irresponsible statement” proved to be a flashpoint. “The Congress’ stand on the issue is straightforward. The policy needs to be implemented with the state’s consent,” he said. Congress MP Karti Chidambaram also waded into the debate and said he “resolutely opposed Hindi imposition”. “Tamil Nadu does not need a three-language formula curriculum. We are well served with a two-language formula curriculum. My daughter and I studied in a Tamil-English school. We are both in no way disadvantaged in life. Tamil Nadu's social indicators are much better than most states,” he said. What has been the Congress’ stand on the NEP and the latest row? While the party’s central leadership has largely been mum on the Tamil Nadu versus Centre “language war”, the party had opposed the NEP in 2020 when it was introduced during the Covid pandemic claiming it misses “the fundamental goal of human development and expansion of knowledge” and questioned the NDA government’s move to push it through during the pandemic without consultation. Saying that the NEP circumvented parliamentary oversight, the Congress claimed that discussions on it were held “only with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)” and not with academics. The Congress also claimed that the NEP would widen the digital divide between the rich and the poor and that the policy promoted privatisation of public education that would result in “education becoming inaccessible for the middle-class and disadvantaged sections of society”. Why has the Congress remained silent on the latest row? The Congress is seemingly taking a measured approach as it does not want to give the BJP a chance to brand it as “anti-Hindi”, a tag which many believe would adversely impact its prospects in election-bound Hindi heartland states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. “It is tricky because the Congress needs to strengthen its ground in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and other Hindi heartland states. Backing what Stalin is saying will give fodder to the BJP to build a narrative against the Congress and its allies in these two states,” a senior Congress leader in Lucknow said. Echoing the same sentiment was a Congress leader from Bihar. “We cannot give the BJP a readymade issue in an election year and hence, we need to be careful,” the leader said. However, the matter seems to have reached the Congress’ doorstep after NDA ally, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) of Jayant Chaudhary last week accused it of not speaking up when “insults were being thrown at Hindi”. During a demonstration in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly demanding respect for Hindi and in support of the NEP, RLD MLAs also questioned the silence of another INDIA bloc constituent, the Samajwadi Party (SP). Even as they face flak over their silence, sources said the leadership of the two INDIA allies are working out the “best possible way to deal with the tricky situation”. “The high command will take a stand on the issue very soon. We respect regional languages and Hindi, and this will reflect in the stand we take,” a senior Congress leader said. How is the issue likely to play up in Parliament? While the DMK is likely to raise the issue in the second half of the Budget session, it remains to be seen if it gets the backing of INDIA bloc allies. Even as SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi extended support to Stalin in his protest over the draft guidelines of the University Grants Commission (UGC), the language issue does not seem to be as straightforward for the two parties. Sources indicate the Congress is likely to take a “cautious” approach on the issue. “The DMK leaders are taking an anti-Hindi stand. We cannot do that. We have a footprint from the south to the north, and from the west to the east. We cannot go against Hindu or any other language. This will be kept in mind while taking a stand on the issue in Parliament,” a senior Congress leader and MP said.
