Tamil Nadu and Centre clash over education policy and reduction in MP seats

DMK and Centre dispute over education policy and possibility of MP seat reduction, amid claims of language conflict.

Transcript

00:00Moving south, it's now the state of Tamil Nadu that has turned into a big political

00:05battleground.

00:06The ruling DMK and the central government are now locking horns.

00:10Tamil Nadu government's opposition to the national education policy has turned into

00:14a fierce political battle between the ruling party, that is the DMK, and the central government.

00:20Upping its ante against the central government, MK Stalin went on to accuse the BJP-led central

00:25government of trying to wage another language war in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.

00:31He expressed that the proposal that is now coming in with regards to making sure that

00:37the number of seats are increased, Tamil Nadu chief minister went on to claim that it will

00:41stifle Tamil Nadu and the voice of whole of southern India.

00:45Stalin also called for an all-party meeting on the 5th of March, warning that the states

00:49could lose close to 8 MPs when the delimitation based on population will actually come into

00:55The BJP has hit back, accusing Stalin of spreading imaginary fear among the people of the state

01:00and also trying to shift the focus from language to now making sure that he speaks about the

01:06number of MPs that will be reduced.

01:08The BJP says all this is just false propaganda.

01:24It can be other Indian languages.

01:27There is no imposition of any Hindi or any language on them.

01:31Some friends in Tamil Nadu are doing politics, but certainly, the government of India is

01:35committed to implement NEP, and there are certain conditions with NEP.

01:55Family planning program, as per the union government's order, was strictly followed

02:15in states like Tamil Nadu and other southern states, but in the northern states, they have

02:21not followed.

02:22If the delimitation is based on population, our population will be less in India.

02:32So that will affect the number of constituencies in the state.

02:35Already we have lost two constituencies.

02:37Earlier we had 41.

02:39In 1971 delimitation, we had lost two constituencies.

02:44Now we may have to lose more constituencies, then our representation will be less in the

02:49parliament.

02:51The chief minister wants to distract the people's attention from some real issues which

02:56are facing the state, just like how they're talking about Hindi imposition, which is nowhere

03:01there.

03:02The delimitation process has been going on from 1952, when the Congress was in power.

03:07The process of census is very important, it has to be taken to make sure that we are able

03:11to understand the composition of the people, so reservation can be brought about.

03:16So is the chief minister against reservation?

03:19Can we take it that way?

03:21Yes.