No animosity among languages: PM amid New Education Policy tussle with Tamil Nadu

Speaking at an event in New Delhi, PM Modi emphasised India's linguistic harmony amid a Centre-Tamil Nadu tussle over education reforms and the three-language policy.

In Short

• PM Modi emphasises coexistence of Indian languages
• Urges distancing from misconceptions about linguistic divisions
• Comments follow Centre-Tamil Nadu tussle over language policy

Amid the ongoing tussle between the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government over the three-language policy under the National Education Policy (NEP), Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday pointed out that India's languages have always coexisted, influencing and enriching one another without animosity.

While speaking at the inaugural function of the 98th Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan in New Delhi, PM Modi said, "There has never been any animosity among Indian languages. Languages have always influenced and enriched each other. Often, when efforts were made to create divisions based on languages, India's shared linguistic heritage gave a fitting reply".

Furthermore, the Prime Minister asked people to distance themselves from such 'misconceptions' and enrich all languages. "It is our social responsibility to distance ourselves from these misconceptions and embrace and enrich all languages," news agency PTI quoted PM Modi as saying.

PM Modi's statement, while not explicitly directed at any particular person, came against the backdrop of the ongoing political tussle between the MK Stalin-led Tamil Nadu government and the Centre over the three-language policy under the National Education Policy (NEP).

Earlier in the day, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan asked the southern states to set aside political differences over the NEP, but the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) remained firm, asserting that it would not deviate from its two-language policy.

Pradhan accused Stalin of "spinning progressive reforms into threats to sustain political narratives". Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu ruling party claimed that the state was being asked to implement NEP and the 3-language policy involving Hindi in return for its due share of central funds.

"The continued opposition to NEP 2020 for political reasons deprives students, teachers, and educational institutions in Tamil Nadu of the immense opportunities and resources that this policy offers. The policy is designed to be flexible, allowing states to customise its implementation to suit their unique educational needs," the minister wrote in response to a letter Stalin wrote to PM Modi.