Reacting to the Supreme Court’s order concerning the opening of Navodaya Vidyalayas in Tamil Nadu, DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin said the state does not need Hindi-medium schools. However, he clarified that this does not mean Tamil Nadu is opposed to the language or considers itself separate from the rest of India. He said the state is only against the imposition of Hindi.
Udhayanidhi also opposed the Centre’s proposal to open Navodaya Vidyalayas in Tamil Nadu. He said the state does not need such schools as it already has institutions serving disadvantaged students. Therefore, there is no need for another such initiative, he said. He also urged the TVK government to convene a special Assembly session and pass a resolution opposing the establishment of Navodaya Vidyalayas in the state.
Udhayanidhi alleged that the then DMK government, led by his father, had refused to adopt the three-language policy. He claimed that the Centre subsequently withheld ₹3,548 crore allocated to Tamil Nadu under the Samagra Shiksha scheme, and that the funds have still not been released.
