Rajya Sabha MP Sudha Murthy Advocates for Three-Language Policy

New Delhi:

Rajya Sabha MP Sudha Murthy expressed her support for the three-language policy in the National Education Policy (NEP), which promotes the learning of multiple languages among students.

Reflecting on her personal experience with languages, she said, “I have always believed that one can learn multiple languages. I myself know 7-8 languages. I enjoy learning, and children can benefit greatly from it.”

Earlier, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram criticized the Union Government over the three-language policy. He argued that Tamil Nadu is well-served by the two-language formula, i.e., English and Tamil, and making the “third language” compulsory is “completely unacceptable.”

“Tamil Nadu is very clear and well served by the two-language formula—English and Tamil. English connects us with the world of commerce and science, while Tamil preserves our culture and identity. If anyone wishes to learn a third language, it should be their personal choice. There is no reason to make it compulsory. Forcing a third language upon us would be completely unacceptable, and the Union government must be flexible in implementing its policies,” he said.

Congress MP Jebi Mather stated, “BJP should understand that the language issue is a sensitive and emotional matter… Anything that hurts people’s sentiments should not be promoted… Dharmendra Pradhan is unnecessarily causing division in society… We in the opposition stand for unity, which is why we walked out of Parliament yesterday… BJP has hidden agendas in the NEP (National Education Policy)…”

Earlier, while speaking in the Rajya Sabha, the Union Education Minister criticized the opposition for claiming that the government aims to divide society through language policies. He asserted that the central government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, would never use language to commit such a “sin.”

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also criticized Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) for its opposition to the three-language policy, accusing the Stalin government of creating a “political mess” in Tamil Nadu and depriving children of their “right to learn.”

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