Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh government has issued a directive making it mandatory for all colleges in the state to include books written by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leaders in their curriculum.
The order issued by the Higher Education Department has given rise to a political controversy. Opposition parties are calling it an attempt to promote a divisive ideology, while the BJPled state government says that an antinational ideology was being promoted earlier.
Dr. Dhirendra Shukla, a senior official of the Higher Education Department, has written a letter to the principals of all government and private colleges. In this letter, the institutions have been instructed to buy a set of 88 books. The list includes works written by prominent RSS leaders like Suresh Soni, Dinanath Batra, Dr. Atul Kothari, Devendra Rao Deshmukh and Sandeep Waslekar, who have been associated with the RSS's educational wing Vidya Bharati.
The Higher Education Department has asked colleges to purchase these books without delay. This instruction is in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which advocates the inclusion of Indian knowledge traditions in academic courses. The department's letter also recommends that an Indian Knowledge Tradition Cell be formed in each college, which will help in including these books in various undergraduate courses.
The list of 88 books has stirred controversy, especially the 14 written by Dinanath Batra, a former general secretary of Vidya Bharati and a prominent figure in the RSS's educational campaigns. Batra had earlier hit the headlines for advocating the removal of revolutionary Punjabi poet Avtar Pash's poem 'Sabse Khatarnaak' from the Class 11 Hindi textbook.
The opposition Congress has condemned the Madhya Pradesh government's directive. The Congress has accused the state government of trying to impose divisive and hatemongering ideology among students.
Congress leader KK Mishra questioned the suitability of the selected authors, arguing that their works were based on a particular ideology rather than academic qualifications. “Will the books of such authors inspire the spirit of patriotism and sacrifice in educational institutions?” Mishra asked. He promised to repeal the order if the Congress came to power.
BJP state president VD Sharma defended the decision, saying that these books will have a positive impact on the knowledge and overall personality of the students. What is wrong in saffronisation of education? At least we are not promoting the antinational ideology that leftist thinkers had once imposed on our school and college curriculum.
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– / Written By Top News Bulletin
Image Credit: KhasKhabar.