Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin escalated his confrontation with the Modi government on Friday regarding the National Education Policy (NEP) and the distribution of funds. He stated that the DMK could easily refuse to pay taxes collected by the Union government from the state, emphasizing that “federalism is about give-and-take.”
In response to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s claim that Tamil Nadu could lose ₹5,000 crore for not implementing the PM Shri scheme linked to NEP, Stalin accused the Centre of being envious of the states’ progress and attempting to hinder their development.
Stalin also criticized the Centre for withholding states’ rightful share of resources, stating, “After extracting all state taxes through the GST regime, the Union government is now refusing to release the dues owed to states, deny new schemes, or provide funds for joint state-federal projects.”
Warning the Centre not to provoke Tamil pride, Stalin said, “Don’t stir the hornet’s nest. Don’t challenge the unique spirit of Tamil people. As long as I am here, and as long as the DMK is here, no anti-Tamil agenda will succeed.”
Pradhan responded to Stalin’s opposition to the NEP, accusing Tamil Nadu’s stance of being politically motivated and harmful to students. On his X handle, he shared a letter to Stalin, calling the state’s opposition to NEP “highly inappropriate” and “narrow-minded.” He criticized the Tamil Nadu government for using “intimidation for political reasons” and urged the state to focus on students’ well-being instead of politicizing education. Pradhan emphasized that the Modi government was dedicated to promoting Tamil culture globally and clarified that the NEP was designed to modernize the education system while respecting linguistic and cultural diversity, reiterating that no language would be imposed on any state or community.
Stalin, speaking at a gathering in Cuddalore, argued that the true disaster for India was the Union government’s failure to understand federalism. He claimed, “NEP isn’t about improving education; it’s about advancing the agenda of creating a homogeneous India.”
This is not the first time that the DMK has resorted to separatist rhetoric.
Earlier in November 2024, DMK scion Udhayanidhi Stalin received a map of separate South India, which indirectly references the “Dravida Nadu” separatist ideology once propagated by the DMK.
On 10 June 2021, the DMK IT wing’s official Twitter account quoted late former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Annadurai, saying that the demand for a separate “Dravida Nadu” is still relevant, and has fuelled separatism.
(With Inputs From TOI)
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