By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Mumbai: Cautiously handling the controversial statement given by one of an official of teaching Bhagwad Gita in all Bruhanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) schools, Maharashtra government renounced such a move and made it clear that there was no plan to teach Bhagwad Gita to municipal school students in Mumbai schools.
Replying to media questions outside Vidhan Bhavan on Friday Education Minister Vinod Tawade said, “There is absolutely no such proposal” adding , “Besides teaching Bhagwad Gita, Quran and Bible, there are other ways to inculcate value education among students. We are exploring the other ways”.
(Courtesy: mid-day.com)
BMC education committee chairman Vinod Shelar too clarified that BMC has no such plan to teach Gita in all Mumbai schools.
Few days ago, Deputy Municipal Commissioner Ramdas Bhausaheb in a function organised by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) said BMC would teach the Bhagwad Gita in all municipal schools in the city and suburbs so as to make them more focused, boost their morale and impart knowledge about spirituality.
“We shall impart the knowledge of ‘Bhagwad Gita’ to students to make them independent and sharpen their power in decision making,” the official has been quoted as saying by ISKCON.
Bhausaheb’s such statement had created furore amongst the minority community who were seeing this move as safronization of academics by the government. Students in Urdu medium schools and their parents were apprehensive due to the BMC official’s announcement and were contacting their respective area corporator to raise the issue with government.
Maharashtra unit of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind had immediately condemned the plans of teaching Gita in all schools and termed it an attack on the fundamental rights of minorities and an attempt by government to kill the secularism and democracy in Inida.
“This is completely unwarranted. Forcing one particular religious book teaching in all schools is in a way an attempt to end Secular fabric in the nation and to kill the democracy. When the constitution allows all religion people to practice their own religion then there remains no scope to teach Gita in all schools that also involves minority schools”, said Maulana Nadeem Siddiqui, President of Maharashtra unit of Jamiat.