Chennai, Aug 3 (IANS): The Tamil Nadu government has firmly rejected the three-language plan in the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP) unveiled recently by the Union government. In a statement issued on Monday, Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami opposed the plan on the grounds that such a move would offend sentiments in Tamil Nadu.

Describing the three-language formula as "saddening and painful" the Chief Minister urged the Prime Minister to reconsider it and let the states handle it according to their policy. "Our state has implemented the two-language policy for decades, and will continue. I request the Prime Minister to listen to the sentiments of people of Tamil Nadu," the statement read.

The state government's stance comes in the wake of stiff resistance to the plan by opposition parties. DMK party leader M.K. Stalin has been vociferous in his opposition to the plan, which is seen as a ploy to introduce Sanskrit and Hindi languages into the state where Dravidian movements hold sway.

Due to the anti-Hindi and anti-Sanskrit sentiments involved, the issue has the potential to emerge as a poll plank in the next Assembly election against the ruling AIADMK and its ally the BJP.