BJP leader and NDA candidate S Vijayadharani has accused Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin of intentionally denying students across the state the chance to learn Hindi. Vijayadharani pointed out that Hindi is a compulsory subject in schools run by Stalin’s family, but poor children are deprived of this opportunity.
“Members of Stalin’s family run a school in Chennai called ‘Sunrise’. In that school, Hindi is a compulsory subject. Students studying in that private school are taught Hindi. In such a situation, Stalin should answer why he wants to deprive children from poor families of the opportunity to learn Hindi,” she told ANI.
She criticised Stalin’s repeated references to a “diluted formula,” stating, “This is a diluted formula that the Chief Minister keeps bringing up repeatedly. But people know the truth behind it. The Chief Minister has not carried out any public welfare work during his tenure that he can talk about, so he is raising such issues to mislead people and divert their attention.”
Vijayadharani rejected Stalin’s claim that the central government was imposing Hindi through the National Education Policy (NEP), calling it a “baseless allegation” and asserting, “the central government is not imposing Hindi in any way.”
The three-language policy has resurfaced as a key issue ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. Stalin has declared that the policy will not be implemented while the DMK remains in power, intensifying political debate. Vijayadharani, who filed her nomination on Monday as the BJP candidate for the Vilavancode Assembly seat, also expressed confidence in their electoral prospects.
“The BJP is leading not only in this seat but across all seats, and their alliance is going to form the government,” she said.
Polling for Tamil Nadu’s single-phase Assembly elections is scheduled for April 23, with vote counting to follow on May 4. The main competition involves the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), including the Indian National Congress, DMDK, and VCK, and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by AIADMK with BJP and PMK as allies. Actor-turned-politician Vijay will also contest with TVK, potentially creating a three-way contest.
