On Tuesday, the Tamil Nadu government, led by Chief Minister MK Stalin, established a high-level committee chaired by former Supreme Court judge Kurian Joseph. The committee’s mandate is to propose measures to enhance the state’s autonomy amid ongoing tensions with the central government. This initiative was announced in the Tamil Nadu Assembly under Rule 110, which permits the Chief Minister to make statements without immediate opposition response.
The committee, which also includes former IAS officers Ashok Vardan Shetty and Mu Nagarajan, is tasked with researching and providing recommendations on restoring governance and policy-making powers that were originally under the state’s jurisdiction but are now shared with the Centre. An interim report from this committee is expected by January 2026, with the final report due within two years.
Tamil Nadu’s push for Autonomy amid tensions with Governor and Centre
The formation of the high-level committee by the Tamil Nadu government is a notable development, especially in light of the ongoing confrontation between the ruling DMK and the BJP-led central government over education policies—chief among them, the state’s demand for exemption from NEET, the centrally-administered medical entrance examination.
The move also comes against the backdrop of continued friction between Chief Minister MK Stalin and Governor RN Ravi. Just last week, the Supreme Court reprimanded the Governor for unlawfully delaying the approval of 10 bills passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly, some of which had been pending for over five years. The court labeled his actions as “arbitrary” and “illegal.”
Welcoming the landmark judgment, Stalin highlighted how several of these bills—now enacted into law—seek to curtail the Governor’s power, especially regarding the appointment of Vice Chancellors in state universities.
Debate over Education Governance
With education listed under the Concurrent List, both the Centre and states share administrative authority. However, Stalin has called for education to be moved exclusively to the State List. He has demanded the reversal of the 42nd Constitutional Amendment, which placed education under shared control.
Tensions escalated further after President Droupadi Murmu rejected a bill—passed twice by the Tamil Nadu Assembly—that would have allowed the state to admit medical students based on Class XII marks instead of NEET scores.
Reacting to the setback, Stalin said, “The Union government may have turned down Tamil Nadu’s request, but our struggle will continue. We will seek legal advice on how to challenge this decision.”
ALSO READ: Amit Shah confirms AIADMK-BJP alliance for 2026 Tamil Nadu polls, EPS is CM face
Clash over Language Policy
Another major flashpoint is the National Education Policy’s (NEP) three-language formula, which the DMK claims is an attempt to impose Hindi. Under this framework, students in Class VII and above must study a third language, chosen from a list of 22, in addition to their mother tongue and English.
Tamil Nadu, which has long followed a two-language policy, opposes this model and argues that its current system has served it well. The state government has accused Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan of attempting to “blackmail” Tamil Nadu by threatening to withhold Rs2,500 crore in education funds unless it complies with the NEP.
The BJP has dismissed these accusations, countering that the NEP does not mandate Hindi and accusing the DMK of reneging on earlier commitments to implement the policy.
A growing political battle ahead of elections
These disputes—ranging from education reform to a planned delimitation exercise that the DMK fears will weaken its parliamentary representation in favor of northern, Hindi-speaking states—come as Tamil Nadu gears up for upcoming Assembly elections. Historically resistant to the BJP’s nationalist agenda, the state will once again be a key battleground, especially with the BJP rekindling its alliance with the AIADMK, the DMK’s primary rival.
