New Delhi: India's central government said on Saturday that while a draft education policy that promotes the dissimination of three languages has been proposed, no concete decision has been made. Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar added that there was no intention of imposing any language on anyone. The response came amid Tamil Nadu opposition parties' objection to the draft.
"The committee on new education policy has submitted its report. The government has not taken any decision on it," Javadekar told media.
Javadekar, who was Human Resource Development Minister in the previous NDA government, said all Indian languages will be promoted.
"[The] Modi government has always promoted all Indian languages. Therefore, there is no case or intention of imposing any language on anybody. We want to promote all Indian languages. There should be no misunderstanding on the issue that this is a government policy. It is a draft prepared by the committee that will be decided by the government only after we get public feedback," he said.
There was an uproar in Tamil Nadu on Saturday when the draft national education policy was presented by K. Kasturirangan Committee to the central government.
Speaking to reporters in Chennai, DMK Lok Sabha member Kanimozhi said her party would oppose any such move.
Reacting to the proposition, actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan said, "No language should be imposed and those who are interested can learn any language of their choice".
S. Ramadoss, founder of the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), said Hindi should not be imposed in Tamil Nadu.
The Kasturirangan Committee has recommended teaching of Hindi, English and one regional language in the non-Hindi states. For Hindi-speaking states, the committee has recommended teaching of Hindi, English and one of the other 'modern' Indian languages from another part of the country.
However, it has not specified what the modern Indian language would be. Tamil has been accorded classical language status by the Central government.
