A heated battle is unfolding between Tamil Nadu and India’s central government over the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, a sweeping reform introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration.
Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has led the opposition, labelling the policy a “Hindutva policy” that prioritises Hindi and Sanskrit over regional languages and threatens Tamil Nadu’s progressive education system.
This standoff has reignited long-standing tensions over language imposition and state autonomy, with Stalin accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of using financial coercion to enforce the NEP by withholding education funds. The BJP, in turn, has dismissed these claims as political propaganda. However, Tamil Nadu’s resistance is not just about language; it is a broader rejection of what the state sees as a centralised, majoritarian agenda that undermines federalism and social justice.
Tamil Nadu’s history of resisting Hindi imposition
Tamil Nadu has been at the forefront of the fight against Hindi imposition since India's independence. The Dravidian movement, which shaped Tamil Nadu’s political identity, has always viewed the promotion of Hindi as a form of North Indian linguistic and cultural dominance. The most significant of these protests took place in 1965, when a proposed policy to replace English with Hindi as India's sole official language led to violent agitations in Tamil Nadu. As a result, the Indian government passed a law assuring that English would continue as an official language alongside Hindi.
In response to these concerns, Tamil Nadu adopted a two-language formula, where schools only teach Tamil and English, rejecting the three-language policy that mandated Hindi in other non-Hindi-speaking states. This has remained a defining feature of Tamil Nadu’s Dravidian governance, with the DMK and AIADMK governments fiercely protecting it.
Now, with NEP 2020 reintroducing the three-language policy, Tamil Nadu’s government sees it as a backdoor attempt to impose Hindi.
What is NEP 2020, and why is Tamil Nadu opposing It?
The National Education Policy was introduced in 2020, aiming to overhaul India's education system. One of its most contentious aspects is the three-language formula, which requires students to learn three languages, two of which must be native to India. While the policy does not explicitly mandate Hindi, Tamil Nadu’s government fears that it pressures students to take Hindi, as there are few other Indian language options available in the state.
Stalin has repeatedly condemned the policy, stating that it a “Hindutva policy” aimed at promoting Hindi, rather than focusing on India’s overall development.
He has warned that the BJP is using education to enforce its ideological project of a “Hindu Rashtra”, where linguistic diversity is undermined in favour of a Hindu-Hindi-Hindustan vision. He has also accused the Modi government of treating Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam as second-class languages while privileging Hindi and Sanskrit.
“We would have welcomed the NEP if it was a scheme designed to bring everyone into education. The NEP will totally destroy Tamil Nadu’s progress in education. That is why we are opposing it,” he said.
“Even if we have to sacrifice our lives, we will never bow to the BJP’s fascist actions. We will unite the entire country against its authoritarianism,” he said.
“The BJP’s caste-based politics denies social justice. The BJP’s authoritarianism crushes State autonomy. The BJP’s communal agenda threatens India’s secular fabric. The BJP’s dictatorial approach undermines federalism. If we do not resist now, we may never be able to resist in the future.”
“We will unite India under the principles of social justice, secularism, federalism, and State autonomy. Only through such unity could we save India. That is why the struggle, ‘Tamil Nadu Fights! Tamil Nadu Wins!’ will become a national movement,
Withholding of education funds - financial blackmail?
The controversy escalated after Tamil Nadu refused to sign an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) for the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan scheme, a central education programme, last year. However, according to the MoU, participating in the scheme meant that the state had to adopt NEP 2020 "in its entirety". The central government withheld Rs 2,152 crore in funds, making it clear that states must implement NEP 2020 to receive financial support.
Stalin has accused the BJP government of using financial blackmail to force states into compliance. He has declared that Tamil Nadu will not accept NEP 2020, even if the Centre offers Rs 10,000 crore. He sees this as a violation of federalism, where the BJP is attempting to override state autonomy by tying essential funding to ideological compliance.
BJP leaders, on the other hand, argue that Tamil Nadu’s stance is politically motivated. BJP Tamil Nadu chief K. Annamalai has pointed out that private schools attended by DMK leaders’ children already follow a trilingual policy, asking why government school students should not have the same opportunities.
However, Stalin and his party remain adamant, arguing that the issue is not about choice but imposition. He has accused the BJP of double standards, claiming that if the Modi government was truly committed to promoting regional languages, it would have recruited more Tamil teachers in central schools and introduced Tamil in schools in North India—which it has not done.
NEP 2020’s caste bias
Tamil Nadu’s opposition to NEP 2020 goes beyond language. The state also rejects several structural changes in the policy, which it believes will harm students from disadvantaged backgrounds and reinforce caste-based discrimination.
“It denies financial aid to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes. It introduces national-level entrance exams even for arts and science colleges. It aims to push students out of the education system by implementing exit options from Class 10. It enforces caste-based vocational education from Class 6. That is why we are firmly stating that we won’t accept it,” said Stalin.
The state has already fought a long battle against the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for medical admissions, arguing that it disproportionately affects Dalit, OBC, and rural students.
Stalin has called NEP 2020 “anti-poor, anti-reservation, and anti-social justice”, accusing the BJP of trying to dismantle Tamil Nadu’s progressive policies that have ensured equitable access to education.
Read more from the BBC here and The Hindu here.