CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami announced that the state would not deviate from its two-language strategy, which has been followed for many years. He rejected the three-language policy introduced by centre in the National Education Policy (NEP).

The Chief Minister said that the three-language formula in the new National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is "painful and saddening." He expressed severe anguish over this new policy and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reconsider it.

Palaniswami said that, "The public opinion in the state and that of the majority of the political parties, including the AIADMK, is a two-language policy. At this juncture, the three-language structure of the centre's new education policy causes anguish."

He added that former chief minister J Jayalalithaa and MGR firmly opposed the imposition of Hindi. Jayalalithaa had batted for Tamil as the official language of the Madras High Court.

In January 1968, the C N Annadurai-led DMK regime passed a resolution in the Assembly, scrapping the three-language system, after which Hindi was completely excluded from the curriculum.

The Union Minister of Education, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said that the centre will not enforce any language on any state. He further added that he was looking forward to the guidance of the ex-central minister in implementing NEP in Tamil Nadu.

The MK Stalin-led DMK and other opposition parties in Tamil Nadu have resisted the NEP and want a study of the sweeping changes that centre has introduced.

On Saturday, the DMK leader said that the policy was an attempt to enforce Hindi and Sanskrit and vowed to fight against it by joining hands with similar political parties and the ministers of other states.