Chennai, Jan 2 (Reporter) Asserting that the Tamil Nadu government would stick to its two language policy, School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi on Thursday denied as 'false and malicious' reports that 500 government schools are being privatised. Following reports that the state government was planning to allow private schools to adopt 500 government schools, Opposition parties, including the BJP, and the allies of the government strongly objected to it. Amid criticisims from the alliance parties of the DMK, including the CPI and the CPI(M), that the State Government was trying to privatise 500 Government schools to implement the New Education Policy (NEP), the Minister stoutly denied it. "The DMK government has no plans to privatise schools. Some private schools have only came forward to lend a helping hand to improve State-run schools under their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives", he clarified. “Government schools are like our own children; nobody will be allowed to adopt them,” the Minister declared, while talking to reporters here. After allegations of privatisation of government schools surfaced, the Tamil Nadu Private Schools Association also clarified that private schools would not take over 500 government schools, but would only assist in their development through CSR activities. Meanwhile, Mr Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi slammed the BJP-led Government at the Centre for withholding the funds due to the State under the SSA programme in an attempt to 'threaten' the State government to implement the NEP. "Even now we are facing threats to toe their line. We are being throttled to sign on the dotted line for the funds to be released under the Samagra Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) programme", the Minister charged. "Since the Centre has denied funds and are not releasing them as the State has refused to toe its line on NEP, we are meeting the expenses from our own resources," he added. The Minister also asserted that the State government would stick to its two language policy and there was no compromise on it and reiterated the demand to bring the Education back to the State List from the Concurrent List. "We cannot abandon our policy (Two language - English and mother tongue Tamil)," he said, adding "let Education be brought back to the State List in the Constitution as it was earlier. We know what our students' need." Chief Minister MK Stalin has made it clear that the state will continue to bear the expenses rather than surrendering to the demands of the Union Government, he said. "We will manage. Education of our children should not suffer. We know their educational needs," Mr Poyyamozhi said, recalling the assurance given by the Chief Minister...////...