TMC's Kalyan Banerjee and DMK's Kanimozhi lock horns in LS over voter list and NEP issues

In a heated debate in the Lok Sabha on Monday, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee and DMK's Kanimozhi engaged in a sharp exchange of words as both parties attempted to raise their respective concerns. Banerjee had taken the floor during the Zero Hour to discuss discrepancies in the voter list, while DMK members, led by Kanimozhi, protested and insisted that their MP Sumathy be allowed to address concerns over the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and its three-language formula, which they believe undermines federalism.

Banerjee, amid ongoing protests, continued to speak on the voter list issue, but the situation escalated as the protests grew louder. This led to a tense confrontation between Banerjee and Kanimozhi, which was only interrupted when NCP's Supriya Sule intervened, taking Kanimozhi aside.

Despite Sumathy's speech on the NEP, the protests from the DMK persisted, and the House was eventually adjourned until 2 PM.

The controversy revolves around the NEP's three-language formula, which requires students to learn three languages—at least two of which must be Indian languages, with English as the third. The DMK argues that the policy could lead to the imposition of Hindi in Tamil Nadu, raising concerns about the region's linguistic autonomy. | PTI