Chennai, Feb 16 (IANS): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has defended the state's decision to reject the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, saying that the trilingual policy lacks a constitutional mandate.

In a post on social media platform X on Sunday, CM Stalin directly questioned Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, asking, "Can the Union Education Minister clarify which section of the Indian Constitution makes the trilingual policy a legal requirement?"

The Chief Minister's remarks came in response to Pradhan's accusations that the Tamil Nadu government was politicising its stance on NEP 2020.

Stalin challenged the Union Minister to specify any constitutional provision that mandates the enforcement of the trilingual policy across states.

He emphasised that education is a subject in the Concurrent List of the Constitution, meaning both the Union and state governments share authority over it.

He asserted that the Union government cannot claim exclusive control over education policies, reiterating the importance of federalism in governance.

"India is a union of states, and education falls within the Concurrent List. The Union government cannot impose its decisions unilaterally," he said.

The Chief Minister also condemned what he called "political blackmail" by the Central government, referring to reports that funds might be withheld from Tamil Nadu unless the state complies with the trilingual policy.

"Tamils will not tolerate such audacity. To suggest that funds will be withheld unless Tamil Nadu accepts the trilingual policy is outright intimidation," he said.

Stalin reaffirmed that Tamil Nadu is not asking for any special concessions but is merely asserting its constitutional rights.

He warned the Union government against disregarding regional autonomy, stating that any attempt to impose policies against the state would face strong opposition.

State Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi has also reiterated Tamil Nadu's commitment to preserving its linguistic and cultural heritage by prioritising Tamil in schools.

The state government has consistently opposed the NEP's three-language formula, which promotes Hindi, Sanskrit, and English, arguing that it threatens the prominence of Tamil and dilutes the state's cultural identity.

Tamil Nadu's rejection of the trilingual policy highlights the broader debate on language policies in India's education system.

Several other states have also voiced concerns, advocating for more localised approaches that prioritise regional languages over a centrally dictated framework.