New Delhi, Feb. 17 -- As the war of words between the DMK and central government heats up, Union Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday said that the Centre will implement the New Education Policy (NEP) across India, dismissing the Tamil Nadu government's opposition to the NEP as "politics".

"To create competition among students, to create a level-playing field, we have to come to a common platform. NEP is the new aspirational common platform. I respect all languages. This NEP, envisioned by PM Modi, is giving emphasis to the mother tongue," he said.

The Centre and the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government have been at odds over the implementation of NEP and the three-language formula proposed in the policy.

Acknowledging that Tamil i...