Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has called for Vedic Mathematics to be made compulsory in schools across Uttar Pradesh if Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath returns to power.

Singh made the statement while addressing the Shri Guru Parv Mahamahotsav and Sant Sammelan at Udasin Ashram in Ranopali, Ayodhya, on October 5. He said he would appeal to Adityanath to introduce Vedic Mathematics as a compulsory subject for children across the state.

What did Rajnath Singh say?

Singh said students should learn traditional knowledge alongside modern science and technology. “We need students who understand Sanskrit shlokas as well as computer code,” he said.

Recalling his tenure as Uttar Pradesh Education Minister in 1991, Singh said he had introduced Vedic Mathematics into the state's education system. “During my tenure as education minister, I also introduced Vedic Mathematics,” he said. He added that, as a student of Physics, Mathematics and Chemistry, he considered Vedic Mathematics “unparalleled”.

Singh also recalled a decision during his tenure to make a Sanskrit-based question paper compulsory, saying it was later repealed by another government. He described Sanskrit as a repository of India's knowledge tradition, with links to mathematics, medicine, philosophy and literature.

He also claimed that Vedic Mathematics is taught at the London School of Economics.

What happens next?

There is currently no announcement from the Uttar Pradesh government making Vedic Mathematics compulsory across schools.

Singh's proposal is conditional on the Yogi Adityanath government returning to power. Any move to introduce it as a compulsory subject would require a separate decision by the state government and the education authorities.