Daijiworld Media Network - Chennai

Chennai, Mar 24: Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai on Sunday claimed that Hindi was a "compulsory" third language under the Congress-led UPA regime and credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for introducing flexibility in language choice through the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Addressing a public meeting, Annamalai stated that Modi ensured students could choose any Indian language as their third language, unlike previous policies that mandated Hindi. He also claimed that under NEP 2020, Tamil has been made a compulsory medium of instruction from classes 1 to 5.

Criticizing the ruling DMK, he accused the party of failing to make Tamil a mandatory medium of instruction despite years in power. Comparing India with countries like China, Germany, and Japan, he stressed the importance of education in one’s mother tongue.

Annamalai also took a dig at DMK’s signature campaigns, particularly against NEET, questioning its effectiveness. He highlighted BJP’s own campaign in support of NEP 2020, claiming it had gathered 26 lakh signatures in just 18 days.

Furthermore, he accused DMK leaders of making derogatory remarks about North Indians and dismissed Chief Minister Stalin’s claim that the party would win over 200 seats in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections as an "illusion."