Madhya Pradesh CM announces public holiday on Parshuram Jayanti

Ahead of the Madhya Pradesh assembly polls, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday said the birthday of Lord Parshuram will be a public holiday, a move apparently aimed at reaching out to the Brahmin community.

Addressing “Brahmin Mahakumbh” at Jamboree Ground in BHEL township of Bhopal, Chouhan also said a lesson on the life of Lord Parshuram will be included in textbooks of schools.

Lord Parshuram is viewed as a Brahmin warrior avatar of Lord Vishnu.

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On the occasion, Chouhan reiterated that priests of temples will be given an honorarium and students of Sanskrit schools will be provided with incentives.

"The state government has decided to declare a public holiday on Lord Parshuram Jayanti," he said.

On the demand of a separate commission for Brahmins, Chouhan said that the decision in this regard will be taken after consultation with the prominent people of the community.

"The state government has made arrangements to give an honorarium to priests of temples and incentives to students of Sanskrit schools, who are becoming proficient in performing religious rites," he said.

The chief minister also reiterated that an initiative has been taken to give Rs 8,000 to students of classes 1 to 5 and Rs 10,000 to those studying in classes 6 to 12.

Separately, Chouhan addressed a joint convention of Kirar, Dhakad, and Kshatriya communities in Dussehra Maidan in the MP capital.

Chouhan's wife Sadhna Singh is the national president of the Kirar Mahasabha.