Kanimozhi: ‘Need clarity from Centre on how delimitation will take place … put it on hold if you can’t think of a just way’

* Why is the Tamil Nadu government opposing the National Education Policy, 2020?

We are not opposing the entire National Education Policy (NEP). We are opposing certain elements in the NEP. We do not want to have these “cluster schools” and, of course, we are opposing the three-language policy.

* The Centre has withheld funds for the Samagra Shiksha scheme in Tamil Nadu due to the state’s refusal to implement the NEP. What does the DMK plan to do?

I don’t think the Central government is constitutionally right to say they will not give Tamil Nadu funds. Education is still in the concurrent list. I do not think it is right to force any policy on a state, for that matter. Tamil Nadu has always been exempted from the three-language policy. We should be exempted even now.

* What is wrong with the three-language policy?

What is right with the three-language policy? Students have enough burden in schools. You have to learn so many subjects, and on top of that you are forced to learn three languages instead of two.

Also, not all children are interested or have the aptitude to learn so many languages. One is your mother tongue, you grow up with it. There is a comfort in learning your mother tongue. Next, is English because if you want to go for your higher studies or work or even as a link language across the globe, English does help you.

Learning another language over and above these two should be a child’s choice. Why are we forcing every student to learn three languages or four languages? Even countries such as Finland, which are doing very well in terms of education, do not force their students to learn more than two languages. So, why are we doing this?

* The DMK argues that the three-language policy is one way of “imposing Hindi” on Tamil Nadu. How so?

We do think that the three-language formula is a way of imposing Hindi. Among the Kendriya Vidyalaya schools, run by the Centre, in Tamil Nadu, how many schools teach Tamil? These schools don’t even have teachers teaching Tamil. The schools mostly teach only Hindi and Sanskrit. What does the child learn by learning Sanskrit? Who does the child communicate with in Sanskrit?

How do you trust a government that says we will not impose Hindi, when in their own Kendriya Vidyalayas in Tamil Nadu, Tamil is not taught.

* The Tamil Nadu government is also sparring with the Centre over delimitation. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that Tamil Nadu’s number of seats will not go down after delimitation. Then what is the concern?

With delimitation, the percentage of representation will go down in Tamil Nadu because the states that have a higher population will get more seats. Again, we will be suffering because of the dip in the percentage of seats. So, we are saying we need clarity from the Centre on how the delimitation exercise will take place. Is it going to be purely based on population? Again, we are not against the Census. We are asking for a caste census, though.

* In the recent all-party meeting on delimitation, Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin said the “status quo should continue for at least three decades”. The all-party meeting’s resolution also asked for the 1971 Census-based delimitation framework to be extended for another 30 years beyond 2026. Do you agree?

Why was delimitation stopped in the past? Because some states had implemented population control and some states had not. So, delimitation based on population will be an unfair process because the states that implemented population control, such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and the rest of the southern states, will suffer the most, even as states where population control measures were not taken will gain. This delimitation cannot be an unfair exercise. So, CM Stalin is saying, ‘Come out with something fair and just for everybody or put it on hold if you can’t think of a fair and just way of doing it.’

* The BJP plans to hold meetings in Tamil Nadu to explain delimitation to people. What do you think about that?

First, let us see what kind of meetings they are planning to hold and who they invite to these meetings. The way they are functioning, it leaves a lot to be desired.

* What is the common thread between what you call Hindi imposition and delimitation?

State rights. In both cases, the rights of the states are destroyed.