The DMK general council, on Wednesday, targeted the ruling BJP at the Centre over the
National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and demanded that education be made a state subject.
The party, which also sought the withdrawal of Environment Impact Assessment notification, accused the Union government of protecting the “corrupt” AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu.
The general council slammed the Centre for “taking away the social justice rights of the Other Backward Classes and the Scheduled Castes,” in the Union Public Service Commission’s civil service examinations for 2019 and demanded an inquiry.
The DMK general council, chaired by its president M.K. Stalin, met at the party headquarters in Chennai, linking all the party general council members in other districts through the internet. Resolving to make Stalin the next chief minister of the state, the general council passed 12 resolutions, and took the BJP in the Centre head on on policy issues.
Reiterating its opposition to NEP, the party said the proposals in the policy are “retrograde and tantamount to slighting states and centralising education.”
“Proposals like a higher education commission of India to take universities in the state under the Centre’s control, entrance exams for arts and science streams, formulating syllabus at the central level and the move to merge the classical Tamil, which is already an autonomous body, with a university is most unwelcome. The policy gives prominence to Sanskrit and shows a step motherly attitude to other Indian languages,” observed the general council.
The party condemned the autocratic attitude of the Centre in interfering in the educational rights of the state. Urging the AIADMK in the state to strongly oppose the NEP, the general council reiterated its opposition to the three language formula and said states should be empowered to have a better say in subjects like Education.
Stating that education should be brought back to state list from the concurrent category of the Constitution, the party urged the BJP not to implement the policy.
The party pointed out that the 10 per cent reservation for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) will adversely affect social justice in every stage of the civil service examination. “Be it preliminary or the interview stage, the backward classed, SCs, STs are relegated to a position behind the EWS.”
The party also opposed the EIA draft notification and said it will dilute the existing environmental protection laws. “The central government should unconditionally withdraw the undemocratic notification since it was to encourage projects that would wreak havoc on environment, farmers and agriculture and also goes against the rights of the states.”
The DMK also criticised the Centre for overlooking the alleged corruption in the AIADMK-led government in the state. It also levelled corruption charges against the AIADMK government in floating tenders with regard to COVID-19 relief activities, even as it slammed the ruling party over the failure in handling the coronavirus crisis.
Stalin said the DMK will come to power in the state in the next eight months and asked the partymen to come together and work hard for the same.
Appointments
Earlier, senior leader Durai Murugan, who was considered close to M. Karunanidhi, was elevated as the party general secretary, a post held by late K. Anbazhagan. The post fell vacant after the death of Anbazhagan on March 7.
DMK’s parliamentary party leader T.R. Baalu was made the party treasurer. The post was held by Stalin himself till a few years ago. In DMK, the post of general secretary and the treasurer are considered very powerful as they come in the first ring of the decision making authorities.
Former Union minister and party propaganda secretary A. Raja and Villupuram strongman K Ponmudy too have been made deputy general secretary of the party. With this, the party will have five deputy general secretaries—the others being Anthiyur Selvaraj, Subbulakshmi Jagadeesan and I. Periyasamy.
The deputy general secretaries and the recently appointed principal secretary K.N. Nehru are considered the next set of powerful leaders in the party.
