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EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI, Oct 25: The Tamil Maanila Congress has condemned the education policy of the BJP-led government at the Centre, saying the regressive, communal policy aimed at denying emancipation of and equal rights to women.
According to the BJP's perception, women should remain at home as in the past and refrain from demanding economic independence and social status based on equity, the TMC said.
In a statement on Saturday, former Union minister and TMC MP Jayanthi Natarajan drew attention to the Central Government directive that Hindi should be used by everyone in the country. She appealed to secular forces to beware of the BJP's hidden agenda of imposing Hindi and Sanskrit on unwilling citizens. The BJP administration's efforts to impose Hindi on the nation was contrary to the Prime Minister's promise at the MDMK conference in Chennai last month that all the 19 major languages of the nation will be recognised as official languages, she said.
Referring to the failure of the Union HRD Ministry to initiate``communalisation of the Centre's education policy and curriculum of institutions,'' Jayanthi Natarajan said though the BJP adopted a national agenda of governance, it was compelled to carry out the Sangh Parivar's instructions, leading to doublespeak on issues of national importance.
Accusing Vajpayee and HRD Minister Murli Manohar Joshi of speaking in different voices, the TMC leader said the BJP government sought to communalise the educational system in the name of Indianising, nationalising and spiritualising the educational sector.
Instead, she said, the policy of the country on the verge of the dawn of the 21st century should be restructured so as to conform to international standards and continue to support secular values. In addition, she emphasised the need to have a system that will ensure complete literacy in the country and strengthen national integrity.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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