Communist Party of India (CPI) state secretary R Mutharasan on Tuesday called upon the Tamil Nadu government to reject the National Education Policy (NEP 2020).

Speaking to reporters in Tiruppur, he said the government must not stop with merely declaring that it was opposed to the three-language formula proposed in the NEP but must reject the document in its entirety. The CPI rejected the NEP as it was approved by the Union Cabinet without any discussion in Parliament, he said.

He also condemned the halving of the ex-gratia for the families of frontline workers who die while on COVID-19 duty, from ₹ 50 lakh to ₹ 25 lakh by the State government. “Announcements like these make the credibility of the government questionable,” Mr. Mutharasan alleged.

He also alleged lack of transparency in the number of COVID-19 deaths. He called for cancellation of the e-pass system, alleging irregularities in the process of issuing the passes.

On August 18, the CPI along with the other Opposition parties, will stage state-wide protests demanding arrests of those behind the online attacks on the Left parties on social media platforms, Mr. Mutharasan announced.