Amid the ongoing controversy over the New Education Policy (NEP), DMK leader TKS Elangovan launched a blistering attack on the BJP-led central government, accusing it of trying to reduce the people of India to the status of "Shudras."
Elangovan's comments mark the latest attack from the DMK in the ongoing NEP debate, with strong reactions from both sides of the political spectrum.
The DMK leader claimed that the government wants to introduce a Vedic system of education without any "scientific basis."
"They want to kill Macaulay's system of education, which has produced very good students, scientists from India, and the world over Indian citizens are heading organisations. The education system in Tamil Nadu is the best in India. But they want to kill this and introduce a Vedic system of education without any scientific base," the DMK leader told ANI.
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"They want the people of India to remain as Shudras. That is the idea of RSS, which this BJP government is following. Language is a secondary thing. They are violating the principles of the Constitution," he added.
Tamil Nadu vs Centre over NEP
{{/usCountry}}"They want the people of India to remain as Shudras. That is the idea of RSS, which this BJP government is following. Language is a secondary thing. They are violating the principles of the Constitution," he added.
Tamil Nadu vs Centre over NEP
{{/usCountry}}The criticism from the DMK leader comes amidst the ongoing tensions between the central government and the Tamil Nadu administration led by chief minister MK Stalin.
The Tamil Nadu government, led by MK Stalin, is at odds with the Central government regarding the three-language formula proposed in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the delimitation exercise.
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The debate has also drawn in Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who defended the NEP against the criticism.
"I think this (NEP) is the Indianisation of the education system of India..." Fadnavis told reporters in Nagpur.
Sonia Gandhi slams NEP
Sonia Gandhi had launched a fierce critique on the Centre on the issue of NEP, accusing it of implementing its "three core agendas -- centralisation, commercialisation and communalisation" in an opinion piece written in The Hindu.
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Reacting to this, Chief Minister Fadnavis stated that Sonia Gandhi should gain more information and support the 'Indianisation' of the Indian education system.
(with ANI inputs)