Education is considered a tool to inculcate the independent thinking among students. The basis of the education is the conveying real facts and established principles to the students through their curriculum, equipping them to analyze these facts and evolve their independent thinking. This will lead to a rational society but education is used as a means for ideological indoctrination by the RSS and BJP, for communalizing the entire society to implement their strategy of establishing a Hindu Rashta.
Present BJP Government is not only using education institutions to communalize education through the presentation of wrong facts, fabricated history, wrong interpretations but also using these institutions as a tool for opinion building and defending their economic policies. This is a very dangerous trend where the communal government is using educational institutions to justify their failed and anti-people policies and religion is used to justify government’s unjustified actions.
One such case is an attempt of saffronization of higher education in Banaras Hindu University. It is a reflection of the agenda of the RSS and BJP when questions like “Manu is the first Indian thinker of Globalization; Discuss” appears in the examination of Masters of Arts in Political Science.
In Banaras Hindu University which has recently witnessed determined struggle of girl students against University administration and the Chief Minister Yogi Aditynath on the question of their security, MA 1st semester students were shocked when they saw question paper for subject ‘Social and Political Thoughts of Ancient India’. They were asked to write an essay on nature of GST in Kautilya Arthshastra or Manu is the first Indian thinker of Globalization. Discuss’.
This is not a simple case of questions from out of syllabus but reflects the kind of conspiracy working to ruin the Higher education of India. In the above example, students are forced to think and write in a certain way or they have to lose marks. This is the whole idea to compel students to think in a certain way. According to media reports (quoted anonymous student) says “These ridiculous and unpalatable questions in question paper are really disheartening. Students are being taught these fictitious concepts just to validate the policies of the present government. Even last year, students were taught the benefits of demonetization and that characters in Ramayana had used surgical strikes to defeat enemies. However, we were not tested on them after we objected,” complained a student.” (The Indian Express, 7 December, 2017).
It is well-established fact that demonetization which was considered master stroke of Prime Minister Narender Modi has severely hit the economy and poor public has to bear the tragic pain by giving their lives standing in the long queues in front of ATM’s and banks. Millions of people lost their employment which affected their families. There are various assessment regarding individuals losing their jobs and lives but number of affected people increase many folds as demonetization ruined their families also. While people were coming out of this disaster of demonetization, then came GST hitting hard on the business. BJP and RSS have realized that history will not forgive them for these anti people policies so they are trying their old established theory. They don’t want people to assess these policies but are forcing people to think only benefits. They are discussing these policies in the class room to have their real analysis but trying to portray them as noble and useful policies by linking their false roots to our ancient fabricated history e.i. GST with Kautilya and demonitisation with Ramayana.
RSS is trying to control the whole structure of education institutions by deploying their persons or pracharaks who are justifying these attempts by their blatant lies. In this case also the person responsible for setting of question paper is Professor Kaushal Kishore Mishra, from BHU’s Faculty of Social Sciences who openly admits in media that he is a member of RSS. Professor Mishra gives a list of ridiculous justification for teaching these biased concepts in class room and in support of these questions which carries 15marks each.
It is important to note that education is being targeted by central government and RSS right from the first day. In the name of Indianisation, they are trying to communalize it and trying to propagate their ideas. Pseudoscience and false history is being taught to students in various BJP ruling states which are polluting the young minds with venom of communalization. There were attacks on the institutions of Higher education. But now they are directly interfering with the content of Higher education also. Indian education system doesn’t stand for these values. Universities especially are known to promote rational and logical thinking. It is a clear indicator of RSS’s slow but deliberate attempt of “saffronising” the education system of the country and in the process, feeding large number of young brains with their core ideology of Hindutva.
By Vikram Singh ( National General Secretary, SFI)
