Fighting like kindergarten students: Actor Vijay mocks DMK-BJP clash over three-language policy

Actor Vijay

Speaking on the recent controversy over three-language policy, actor Vijay on Wednesday said the DMK-ruled state government and the Centre are fighting like Kindergarten students. Speaking on the occasion of completion of one-year anniversary of his party-- Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, the actor said that TVK is emerging as a strong political force.

Taking a swipe at the Centre’s recent stance on the National Education Policy (NEP), Vijay mocked the government’s move to withhold funds from states that refuse to implement it. “There is a new issue that has started. Centre says funds won’t be given if NEP is not implemented. This sounds like LKG, UKG children fighting,” he remarked, likening the political wrangling to a petty squabble.

Mocking the two parties, Vijay remarked, “They are like fascism and ‘paayasam’.” A statement that he has previously used to attack both the state government and the Centre. He had said, “They go on about fascism, fascism, fascism. And what are they? Payasam?” Payasam is a sweet dish made of rice or vermicelli and milk, a staple dessert in Tamil Nadu.

The battle over the three-language policy has once again intensified in Tamil Nadu, with the DMK-led state government opposing the Centre’s directive under the National Education Policy (NEP).

Union Education Minister and BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan has made the release of funds conditional on Tamil Nadu’s adoption of the NEP, 2020, including its three-language policy. This indication that the state would not receive funds under the Samagra Shiksha scheme unless it complies has sparked outrage among the Tamil Nadu government.

The Tamil Nadu government has made it clear that it will follow its own State Education Policy instead of adopting the NEP introduced by the Centre. A major point of contention is the NEP’s three-language policy, which mandates the study of Hindi along with English and a regional language. Tamil Nadu has long adhered to a two-language policy—Tamil and English—and has strongly opposed the imposition of Hindi in its education system.

The NEP, introduced in 2020, aims to reform India’s education system by promoting multilingual learning, flexible curriculums, and skill-based education. One of its most debated aspects is the three-language formula, which has been widely opposed in Tamil Nadu, where the ruling governments have resisted attempts to introduce Hindi in schools. The policy also seeks to decentralise education and provide more autonomy to institutions.