Now, Modi shares school book cover with Vivekananda

The Vadodara unit of BJP seems to have been smitten by Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s patronage for Swami Vivekananda, for, the notebooks distributed to students of the municipality-run schools free of cost, feature images of the chief minister and the saint on the cover page.

Earlier, BJP workers in Vadodara district had distributed school bags carrying Modi’s image.
Explaining the gesture, Chairman of Vadodara Municipal School board, Keyur Rokadiya said: “In the notebook we have decided to paste the picture of the two (Modi and Swami Vivekananda) side by side as both Swamiji and Modi have similar ideology and contributed towards the progress of the nation.’’
Rokadiya said while one was a hermit, the other is a political teacher and both have made meaningful contribution towards youth empowerment.

The decision, however, has not gone down well with the Opposition Congress, who sees it as a way of “marketing Modi and influencing the children.”

Criticising the decision, Narendra Rawat of the Congress said: “The party does not even want to spare the education sector.

One can understand if only Swami Vivekananda’s picture was used, but what does children have to learn from Modi? Already there are posters and hoardings in every part of the state. Penetration in the education sector is not a good news for the future generation of this state.”