Chennai: Tamil Chief Minister E.K. Palani Swamy on Monday said the three language formula in the new National Education Policy (NEP) – 2020 is painful and saddening.

Chief Minister in a press statement said that he owed not to implement the new policy.

He urged Prime Minister Modi to “reconsider” the three-language policy. He followed the consistence stand by late Chief Ministers Anna Durai, MGR and Jaya Lalitha to express against imposition of Hindi.

“Tamil Nadu will never allow centre’s three language policy. The three language policy in the New Education is painful and saddening. The Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) should reconsider the three-language policy,” the Chief Minister said in a statement.

The Chief Minister also referred to the anti-Hindi agitation by Tamil Nadu students in 1965 when attempts were made by the Congress government to make Hindi the official language. Though the three-language policy leaves it to states to decide on what that language would be, political parties in Tamil Nadu look at this as a tacit attempt by the centre to impose Hindi.

It will never be allowed in Tamil Nadu, said DMK Chief MK Stalin. Stalin in a tweet said that the people of the state have been firm in the two language policy for eight decades. He also thanked CM E.K. Palani Swamy for his quick reaction on the NEP. On Saturday, the DMK chief said the policy was an attempt at imposition of Hindi and Sanskrit and vowed to fight against it by joining hands with like-minded political parties and Chief Ministers of other states.

The reforms were not a new education policy but “a glossy coat on the old oppressive Manusmriti,” said Stalin .

The Centre will not impose any language on any state, Union Minister for Education Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank clarified through a tweet in Tamil to former Union Minister from the state, Pon Radhakrishnan, on Sunday. “I once again like to insist that the Central government will not impose any language on any state,” he said.

The reforms were not a new education policy but “a glossy coat on the old oppressive Manusmriti,” the DMK leader had said.

Imposition of Hindi has always been an emotional issue in Tamil Nadu although schools affiliated to the state board teach Hindi as an optional language.