Congress leader Chidambaram dubs Dharmendra Pradhan's language policy pitch for Tamil Nadu as arrogance

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, on Monday termed Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's insistence on Tamil Nadu implementing the three-language policy for release of education funds to the state, as "peak of arrogance".

Chidambaram said Pradhan's arrogant comment that unless the state government adopts the three-language policy and teaches Hindi, it would not be released funds, showed that he neither knew Tamil Nadu's history nor understood its people's sentiments.

Also, the union minister was not aware of the nation's Constitutional history and Tamil Nadu people, by showing unity, should oppose this arrogance, he said.


"Formulating the state government's language policy is the right of the state's people and it is the right of the state government. Does he know that only one-language policy is followed in Hindi-speaking states? Chidambaram, a Rajya Sabha MP from Tamil Nadu, asked in a social media post.

The Congress leader wondered if Pradhan was aware of the assurances given by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi to non-Hindi speaking states.

Further, Chidambaram asked if the Union Minister was aware that it was an insult to Parliament to deny funds allowed by the House to a non-Hindi teaching state.