The Congress government in Rajasthan has stirred a controversy after it removed the name of RSS ideologue Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya’s name from a scholarship test for secondary school students. The scholarship test is held for the students of 10th and 12th standards and the students who clear the test are awarded scholarships by Rajasthan Secondary Education Department.
This move is followed by an earlier recommendation of the Rajasthan government to make changes in the profile of freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in the school textbooks. The State government had approved of the description of Veer Savarkar as the ‘Son of Portugal’ by justifying it on the basis of the recommendations of a panel of academicians
Rajasthan Education Minister Govind Singh Dotasara said that the previous BJP government in the state had added the name of Deendayal Upadhyay with the talent search test for no reasons, therefore the name has now been dropped.
Apparently, the Rajasthan government is trying to reverse the changes that were made by the BJP government in the school textbooks. The State government argued that the name of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya was added by the BJP government in the scholarship test for no reasons. “The former BJP government had added the name of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya with the talent search test for no reasons, therefore the name has now been dropped”, State Education Minister, Govind Singh Dotasara said.
This move of the Rajasthan government has prompted strong objections from the BJP. Vasudev Devnani, Education Minister in the former BJP government, accused the State government of targeting RSS ideologues and called it the narrow-mindedness of the government. “There are many schemes and programmes in names of various Congress leaders but removing the name of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay from the scholarship test reflects the narrow-mindedness of the Congress government”, he said.
Terming the decision of the government as absurd and uncalled for Devnani said, “Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay is among the great personalities whose contribution to democracy will continue to impact future generations. The government’s decision is absurd and uncalled for”.
Speaking on the changes made by the government in the profile of Savarkar Devnanai told that Former PM Indira Gandhi had issued a commemorative stamp on Veer Savarkar in 1970. “Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi recognised and hailed the legacy of great freedom fighter Veer Savarkar. The then government had issued a commemorative stamp on Veer Savarkar in 1970”, added Devnani.
These are not the only changes made by the Rajasthan government in the school textbooks. Last month, the government had removed all references about the demonetisation from the school textbooks declaring it the most unsuccessful experiment. The relevant parts of demonetisation were added by the previous BJP government in 12th standard Political Science book in 2017 wherein demonetisation was described as “historic” and an “operation to clear black money”.
Similarly, the government had announced the revision of class 8th English textbooks by removing a picture of ‘Jauhar‘. The Education Minister Dotasara had justified the move saying that the girls cannot be taught to perform Jauhar.
