BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan detained during signature campaign for three language policy

The incident occurred after a heated exchange between police officers and BJP supporters. The campaign was organised to rally support for the controversial three-language policy under the National Education Policy (NEP)

Chennai: Senior BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan was detained by the Greater Chennai Police on Thursday while leading a signature campaign in MGR Nagar.

The incident occurred after a heated exchange between police officers and BJP supporters. The campaign was organised to rally support for the controversial three-language policy under the National Education Policy (NEP).

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The Tamil Nadu BJP unit launched the signature campaign, with state president K. Annamalai, Soundararajan, and several other senior leaders participating.

The initiative has seen the involvement of district and mandal presidents, making it a large-scale movement. Speaking on the issue, Soundararajan questioned the state’s opposition to the three-language policy, stating that learning an additional language could open up better job and educational opportunities for students.

She asked: “Why are students in government institutions being denied the opportunity to learn another language that could enhance their career prospects?” The senior BJP leader further said, “Private institutions are already following the three-language policy, but the government is enforcing a two-language system in public schools.”

She further emphasised that the BJP wants the NEP to be implemented uniformly across central board, state board, and government school examinations to ensure equal opportunities for all students.

The Tamil Nadu government, led by Chief Minister and DMK President M. K. Stalin, has strongly opposed the NEP 2020, particularly its three-language formula.

The DMK alleged that the policy was an attempt by the Centre to impose Hindi in Tamil Nadu. In a letter to party members, CM Stalin reiterated his stance, arguing that Hindi is being used as a facade for promoting Sanskrit.

He claimed that several North Indian languages, such as Maithili, Brajbhasha, Bundelkhandi, and Awadhi, have been overshadowed by Hindi, leading to their decline.

The Chief Minister stated that Tamil Nadu’s opposition to the NEP stems from concerns that the policy promotes Sanskrit and Hindi at the cost of regional languages.

He accused the BJP-ruled states of prioritising Sanskrit over other Indian languages and cited Rajasthan’s decision to appoint Sanskrit teachers instead of Urdu instructors as an example.

“If Tamil Nadu accepts the trilingual policy, our mother tongue will eventually be ignored, and there will be a push towards Sanskritisation,” CM Stalin warned.

He further alleged that according to NEP provisions, Indian languages like Tamil would be relegated to online learning, whereas Sanskrit would receive greater focus in schools.

The debate over language policy continues to be a contentious issue in Tamil Nadu, with the ruling DMK determined to resist any move that it perceives as an attempt to undermine the prominence of Tamil.