New Delhi [India], March 11 (ANI): BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh on Tuesday slammed the DMK and other parties in the INDIA bloc, accusing them of making misleading statements on the National Education Policy (NEP, 2020). Chugh said that NEP 2020 is the first education policy under which education should be imparted in the mother tongue.

'Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, this is the first education policy under which education would be imparted in the mother tongue,' Chugh told ANI.

'This education policy encourages mother tongue so that children can get the best education in their mother tongue. DMK and other parties of the INDI alliance are making misleading statements to save their falling politics... The public is demanding answers from you (DMK) for your actions,' he added.

Earlier in the day, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, while speaking at the Chengalpattu government welfare assistance distribution ceremony on Tuesday, firmly rejected the National Education Policy (NEP) and condemned Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's remarks about the state.

He criticized Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's speech in Parliament, where Pradhan suggested that the Union government would release Rs 2000 crores to Tamil Nadu only if the state agreed to the three-language formula. Stalin condemned the statement as 'rude' and accused the central government of 'blackmailing' Tamil Nadu. 'In the name of National Education Policy, they impose policies with the intention to destroy education in Tamil Nadu fully,' Stalin said.

'Rather than making students pursue education, the plan is to make students devoid of education through this National Education Policy. Making education privatized, making higher education only for the rich, mixing education with religion, introducing public exams for even small children, and introducing NEET-like entrance exams for arts, science, and engineering students would give more rights to the union government in education,' the Tamil Nadu CM added.

Stalin strongly rejected the imposition of NEP, asserting, 'We will not accept the National Education Policy. I repeat, not only Rs 2000 crores, even if you give 100,000 crores, we will not accept this hazardous NEP scheme.'

'Yesterday, Dharmendra Pradhan said that Tamils are uncivilized without controlling his tongue. But after his speech, in half an hour, our Tamil Nadu MPs made him take back his words. I appreciate them for their war speech.'

He praised Tamil Nadu's MPs for their swift action and firm stance, saying, 'Our MPs have shown that they are from the Karunanidhi family. Not only that, like AIADMK, which sings lullabies for the BJP government, they proved that we fight for Tamil Nadu's rights without fear.' Stalin concluded by reiterating, 'Those who asked what have 40 MPs done in Parliament, received an answer yesterday. We will make sure our MPs continue our fight for Tamil Nadu.'

Earlier today, DMK MPs protested outside Parliament against the three-language policy. (ANI)