New Delhi: In line with the much touted National Education Policy 2020, the Madhya Pradesh government has asked colleges across the state to teach students about ‘Indian knowledge systems’ or Bharatiya Gyan Parampara.>
The state’s higher education department has written to various government-aided as well as private colleges, asking them to buy titles out of a list of 88 books authored by former and current Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh functionaries, including a compilation by RSS’s education wing Vidya Bharti.>
The list comprises former RSS joint-general secretary Suresh Soni, Dinanath Batra, former general secretary of Vidya Bharti and former Akhil Bharatiya Vidya Parishad general secretary Dr Atul Kothari.>
The Madhya Pradesh education department also asked colleges to constitute a dedicated Bharatiya Gyan Parampara Prakoshth – a cell for acquainting the students with Indian knowledge traditions. The list of 88 books are to be purchased by this cell.>
According to the New Indian Express, three of these books have been authored by Soni, while 14 of the 88-strong list have been written by Batra, who is said to be one of RSS’s biggest idealogues on education.>
Batra had allegedly proposed to remove revolutionary Punjabi poet Avtar Pash’s poem ‘Sabse Khatrnak’ from Class XI Hindi textbook Aaroh.>
The Gujarat government had also included Batra’s books in its curriculum for primary and upper-primary school students, the paper reported.>
The list of books sent by the state government also include those written by Swami Vivekananda. Many other titles in the list are related to Vedic Mathematics, the paper said.>
Reacting to the government’s move, the Congress said that it was an attempt by the Bharatiya Janata Party to poison students’ minds with divisive ideologies and hate.