Overview

• Congress MP Sasikanth Senthil announced on Monday night that he is temporarily ending his indefinite fast after appeals from party leaders and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin.
• He began the protest late last week and was shifted to Chennai’s Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital after doctors recorded elevated blood pressure.
• The demand targets the release of roughly Rs 2,151.59–2,152 crore under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan that the Union Education Ministry has not disbursed.
• Senthil and allies say the holdback is linked to Tamil Nadu’s refusal to adopt NEP 2020’s three-language formula, as the state continues its longstanding two-language policy.
• He says the delay jeopardizes support for about 43 lakh students and 2.2 lakh teachers, and he remains under medical observation while the funding dispute persists.