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Rajasthan books to have Modi chapter

Last Updated 01 May 2014, 20:12 IST

Riding high on the “Modi wave”, the BJP government in Rajasthan plans to introduce a chapter on its prime ministerial candidate in the text books of the Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education (RBSE).  

With the polling process still on and the declaration of results a good 14 days away, the saffron party’s proposal has given rise to a fresh controversy in the state. Coming down heavily on the BJP, political parties accused the state government of trying to inject the RSS-BJP ideology by forcing students to read a chapter about a “communal leader”.

“We are planning to introduce a new chapter on Narendra Modi in RBSE text books. Children should know how a tea vendor, through his determination and hard work, rose to the ranks of a chief minister and will soon lead the nation. It’s a success story by itself,” said Education Minister Kali Charan Saraf.

The minister has already held a meeting with senior officials of the department and has asked them to prepare a draft report. He has also given directions to the officials to collect information pertaining to Modi’s life from neighbouring Gujarat. 

“We have sought the information on Modi’s life from neighbouring Gujarat. Once the information is received we will see if it can be used,” said Saraf. The project is in the initial phase and if everything goes well, the chapter will be introduced in the upcoming academic session. By then, Modi is also likely to become the prime minister, he added.

Meanwhile, the decision has evoked strong criticism. The Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have threatened to hold a protest if the proposal was implemented.

“Now children in Rajasthan will be taught how to achieve their goals by adopting mean and individual approach and by disturbing communal harmony. How can the BJP teach the students the biography of a communal leader who is held responsible for incidents like Godhra riots,” said Congress spokesperson Archana Sharma. We will hold protests against such vague decisions of the state government which is intended to promote the RSS-BJP ideology among children, she added.

The AAP alleged that the saffron party has no regards for secularism nor has any respect to the constitutional values. “Modi has done nothing for the nation, so on what basis is the BJP projecting him as a hero. It will be a black day in the history of Rajasthan if school kids are taught biography of a communal leader,” said AAP state unit secretary Dr Rajesh Pareek. Such decisions will disturb the peaceful environment of the state, he added.

Similar controversy had erupted in 2006 during the tenure of the previous BJP government over class X text books. 

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(Published 01 May 2014, 20:12 IST)

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