Tamil Nadu: BJP launches 'signature campaign' in support of three-language policy, accuses DMK of 'divisive politics'

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], March 5 (ANI): Tamil Nadu BJP launched a signature campaign here on Wednesday in support of the three-language policy recommended in the National Education Policy (NEP).
BJP State President K Annamalai and other top leaders participated in the campaign today.
The state-level signature campaign seeks to garner the support of students, parents, and the general public for NEP 2020 amid the opposition of most other political parties in the state, including ruling DMK and the principal Opposition AIADMK, against the three-language policy.
The goal of the campaign is to gather one crore signatures and present them to President Droupadi Murmu.
"The ruling DMK government, along with its allies, have started the age-old divisive politics based on language by peddling a lie that the NEP 2020 is the BJP government's tool to impose Hindi in Tamil Nadu, the BJP alleged. Insinuating speeches by political leaders in the lines of language war are making rounds on the TN media," they added.
The slogan of the campaign is "Samakkalvi Engal Urimai", meaning "Equal Education is our right".
The BJP says the slogan holds true in today's education scenario of Tamil Nadu because the system in the State allows 3 languages to be taught to students studying in private schools, and the same is denied to underprivileged students studying in government schools.
The theme of the signature movement centres around the hypocrisy of the leaders of the DMK and its allies, whose children study in schools having 3 languages.
Cadres, leaders, and functionaries of the BJP Tamil Nadu attended the event. A website, www.puthiyakalvi.in, dedicated to the signature campaign, was inaugurated.
"The website carries in-depth information about NEP 2020, the myths peddled by the DMK on NEP 2020, and the corresponding truth-busting of the same," the BJP stated.
The event included a self-explanatory audiovisual element showing the "dearth" of schools in the State and the "need for the NEP" to empower the students studying in government schools.
The party leaders inaugurated the campaign by signing on a whiteboard in support of the three-language policy. (ANI)