New Delhi: B.C. Nagesh, minister of school education in Karnataka’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government, has found himself at the centre of another controversy regarding the ‘saffronisation’ of education after suggesting that over 7,500 new classrooms in the state will be painted saffron.
According to a report in the Indian Express, Nagesh, speaking at an event in the state’s Gadag district on Sunday, November 13, said that the new classrooms being built under the ‘Viveka’ scheme will be “uniform” in nature and will be painted saffron.
However, he reportedly said that the saffron colour has been suggested by the architects and is “not in line with any ideology”.
The move has drawn criticism from educationists and members of the Opposition alike. Karnataka Congress MLA Priyank Kharge, speaking to news agency ANI, questioned the move, saying that with other problems in the state’s schools, such as poor infrastructure, a shortage of teachers and high drop-out rates, the government’s focus on the colour of the walls is misplaced.
Why only saffron? You claim to be the most nationalistic party in independent India so paint it in tricolour. What is your excuse? The architect suggested. Is the Govt & dept being run by architects and mason now?: Priyank Kharge, Karnataka Congress MLA pic.twitter.com/BnB5b6ZvYc
Advertisement— ANI (@ANI) November 14, 2022
Further, Kharge questioned why the government did not decide to paint tricolours on the walls.
Under the Viveka scheme, named after Swami Vivekananda, the state government aims to construct 7,601 new classrooms across the state as well as replacing old and dysfunctional ones.
Chief minister Basavaraj Bommai officially launched the scheme on Children’s Day (November 14) by laying the foundation stone in Government Higher Primary School at Madiyal in Kalaburagi district.
When asked about the saffron controversy, Bommai said, “What’s wrong to have saffron colour? There’s saffron colour in the (national) tricolour. Swami Vivekananda himself used to wear saffron robe,” according to news agency PTI.
He also pointed a finger at the Congress, saying the opposition party has a tendency to create controversy whenever “progressive” changes are made.
Nagesh, too, ostensibly hit out at the Congress, saying “I want to ask them, there is saffron colour in their (party) flag. Why did you keep it? Remove it.”
“Some people have allergy towards (saffron) colour,” he added.
Also read: Battle Over Textbook Revision in Karnataka Has Helped Expose the Ideology of Brahminical-Hindutva
Karnataka has seen several conflicts regarding the alleged ‘saffronisation’ of education in the recent past. In May this year, a row had erupted from revisions made by a state-government committee to Class 6-10 social science textbooks and Class 1-10 Kannada language textbooks.
Chapters on revolutionary and freedom fighter Bhagat Singh, Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan, Lingayat social reformer Basavanna, Dravidian movement pioneer Periyar and reformer Narayana Guru have allegedly been removed from the syllabus or severely curtailed with. Facts on Kannada poet Kuvempu were also allegedly distorted. A speech by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar has made its way to the Class 10 revised Kannada textbook.
However, despite opposition from students’ bodies, rights organisations, educationists, experts and politicians, school education minister Nagesh had doubled down on the changes, saying that the Karnataka government was going to teach students “real” history.
In January this year, another row kicked off in the state after six women students were not allowed to attend classes at their pre-university college in Udupi for wearing hijab.
The conflict grew into a national issue over the subsequent months. In February, the state government passed a government order (GO) which effectively barred students from wearing the headscarf. The case eventually made its way to the Karnataka high court, which in March upheld the government order, ruling that hijab does not constitute “essential religious practice” in Islam.
The verdict was then appealed and went to the Supreme Court. In October, a two-judge bench of the top court delivered a split verdict and referred the case to the Chief Justice of India (CJI) to issue appropriate directions.
Following the split verdict, Nagesh had said that the Karnataka high court’s order on the hijab ban would continue to be in force.
(With PTI inputs)
