Tamil Nadu's Battle Against Central Fund Diversion

DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran has accused the central government of redirecting over Rs 2,000 crore allocated for Tamil Nadu education to other states as a penalty for not adopting the National Education Policy. The Tamil Nadu government, led by Chief Minister M K Stalin, vows to fund education independently.

In a fiery address in the Lok Sabha, DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran accused the Centre of diverting over Rs 2,000 crore originally allotted for Tamil Nadu to other states. Maran claims this punitive measure was a response to Tamil Nadu's refusal to adopt the National Education Policy (NEP) and its three-language system.

The Chennai Central MP emphasized that Tamil Nadu's government, under Chief Minister M K Stalin's leadership, would not implement the three-language policy and would finance its students independently. Maran's remarks came shortly after Chief Minister Stalin charged the Centre with 'open blackmail' for reallocating Rs 2,152 crore meant for Tamil Nadu.

The BJP-led Union government has been accused by the state's leadership of hindering educational access as political retribution. Meanwhile, officials from the Ministry of Education noted that Tamil Nadu has not signed an MoU for the PM SHRI school scheme despite multiple reminders.

(With inputs from agencies.)