According to a report by IANS, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Madhya Pradesh government has made it mandatory for colleges across the state to incorporate books authored by leaders of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) into their curriculum.
A directive in this regard has been issued by the Department of Higher Education instructing college administrations to purchase a set of 88 books authored by RSS-affiliated persons.
Furthermore, the directive aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which recommends the inclusion of traditions of the Indian knowledge system in the higher education system.
Following this, the government has also directed college administrations to form ‘Bharatiya Gyan Parampara Prakoshtha’ (Indian Knowledge Tradition Cell) within each college to facilitate the introduction of these books in various undergraduate courses.
The authors whose books will be incorporated into the curriculum, include senior RSS functionaries Suresh Soni, Atul Kothari, Deenanath Batra, Devendra Rao Deshmukh, Indumati Katdare, Kailash Vishwakarma, Ganeshdutt Sharma, Satichchandra Mittal, Sandeep Vaslekar, BG Unkalkar, VK Gupta, Devi Prasad Sharma, Harishankar Sharma, Bajranglal Gupta, Rakesh Bhatia and Vasudev Sharan Agarwal.
In addition to this, the government’s decision has sparked a controversy as the Congress criticised it, calling it the BJP’s attempt to “promote a divisive ideology”. Congress leaders in Madhya Pradesh argued that the authors, whose books would be incorporated, are rooted in a particular ideology rather than educational merit.
“When the subject of a particular book is written based on a particular ideology, then how can it inspire patriotism and sacrifice in educational institutions?” questioned Member of Parliament (MP) Congress Media Head KK Mishra.
The ruling BJP, however, defended the government’s decision claiming that the books would have a positive impact on students’ knowledge and overall personality.
MP President VD Sharma said: “The books of the RSS functionaries will promote patriotism and not be anti-national. What is wrong if the students read books authored by RSS people?” he asked.