Senior Congress leader V Narayanasamy has accused the NDA government at the Centre of "attempting to impose" Hindi on states through the National Education Policy.
Addressing reporters at his residence on Saturday, he alleged that the NEP’s "hidden agenda" was to enforce Hindi, particularly in non-Hindi-speaking states.
He pointed out that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin and several political leaders had already voiced strong opposition to the move.
Narayanasamy recalled that during his tenure, the Congress government in Puducherry had strongly opposed the Centre’s attempt to introduce NEP in the Union Territory.
"I had registered a strong protest on behalf of the government, and we rejected all directives from the NDA government to adopt NEP," he said.
Criticising the AINRC-BJP coalition in the union territory, he accused Chief Minister N Rangasamy of "failing" to oppose the policy, calling it an "injustice" to the Tamil language.
He also slammed Rangasamy for not personally meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to seek his intervention in securing the release of 13 fishermen from Puducherry and Tamil Nadu, who were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy in January for allegedly trespassing into Sri Lankan waters.
"Writing a letter to the Centre is not enough. Rangasamy should meet the Prime Minister and ensure the release of the fishermen and the return of their seized boat," Narayanasamy said.
Expressing concern over rising cases of sexual harassment in Puducherry, he urged the territorial government to take strict action.
He alleged that young children were also at risk and that "politically influential" individuals were interfering in police investigations to protect the "accused".
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