Days after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan warned that Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) funds would be withheld until Tamil Nadu implemented the New Education Policy, Chief Minister M K Stalin fired a sharp response, accusing the Centre of penalizing states and undermining federalism.

“Respect federalism, release funds, and let people benefit from what is rightfully theirs,” Stalin wrote on X. “Tamil Nadu is being denied Samagra Shiksha funds simply because we refuse to accept Hindi imposition. When will this injustice end?”

Stalin also challenged the Centre’s claims over GST relief, insisting that states share half the burden of providing such benefits — a fact, he said, the BJP government has neither acknowledged nor appreciated. “On the contrary, the BJP-led government at the Centre is denying funds that rightfully belong to states,” he added.

Responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assertion that GST reforms and income tax relief saved Indians ₹2.5 lakh crore, Stalin said: “This is exactly what the opposition has demanded from the start. Had these measures been implemented eight years ago, families across the country would have saved lakhs of crores more.”