Escalating the political row between the Centre and Tamil Nadu over the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan wrote to Chief Minister M K Stalin on Friday stating that it was “inappropriate for the State to view NEP 2020 with a myopic vision and spin progressive education reforms into threats to sustain their political narratives”.“The policy does not advocate the imposition of any language. Many non-BJP states have implemented the progressive policies of NEP despite political differences. NEP 2020 aims to broaden the horizon, not narrow them,” Pradhan wrote.The letter comes amid a series of remarks over the past week made by Stalin and Pradhan over Tamil Nadu’s opposition to aspects of the NEP like the three-language formula under which school students are taught three languages.Also Read | Stalin vs Pradhan at Centre, Udhayanidhi vs Annamalai in state as Tamil Nadu NEP row heats upWhile Pradhan has maintained that the three-language policy should be adopted and Tamil Nadu would have to accept the NEP “in letter and spirit”, Stalin reiterated that education remains in the concurrent list, and asked which article of the Constitution mandates the three-language formula. The DMK and AIADMK in Tamil Nadu have opposed the three-language formula on the grounds that it seeks to “impose Hindi”. School students in Tamil Nadu are taught two languages, Tamil and English.Also Read | Union govt using fund releases as pressure tactic to coerce states: Tamil Nadu CM amid NEP rowIn his letter, Pradhan wrote: “Tamil Nadu has always been a torchbearer of social and educational progress, pioneering some of the most transformative reforms in India…however, the continued opposition to the NEP 2020 for political reasons deprives students, teachers, and educational institutions in Tamil Nadu of the immense opportunities and resources that this policy offers. The policy is designed to be flexible, allowing states to customize its implementation to suit their unique educational needs.”With Tamil Nadu refusing to budge from its stance, the Centre has not released funds to the state under Samagra Shiksha, a school education programme. On Thursday, Stalin wrote to the PM seeking his intervention to ensure the release of the funds without linking it to NEP implementation.© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Dharmendra PradhanMK Stalin