India's education minister Dharmendra Pradhan has dismissed Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin's allegations of 'linguistic imposition' over the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020's three-language formula, calling it a 'manifesto for linguistic liberation.'
Stalin had accused the Centre of pushing Hindi through a 'covert mechanism' and 'linguistic imposition' while Pradhan defended the policy, saying it prioritises the mother tongue and promotes flexible multilingualism.
The CBSE has announced the phased implementation of the three-language formula from Class 6 in 2026–27, set to become fully operational up to Class 10 by 2030–31.
Stalin questioned the lack of reciprocity, asking why students in Hindi-speaking states are not mandated to learn southern languages like Tamil, while Pradhan urged the Tamil Nadu government to join the national mission of empowering every Indian language.
