How Can it be nade compulsory in schools?
One Member of Parliament of BJP has presented Single Member Motion in the Parliament to teach ‘Bhagavad Gita’ compulsorily in the schools. Apparently it may look as an individual member’s motion, but the member belongs to the ruling party, BJP. Without the concurrence of the party, the motion would not have been presented in the Parliament. The motion is certainly the consistent proposal of the BJP in different form. Already few members of the union cabinet and many members of the BJP had spoken in support of bringing ‘Bhagavad Gita’ into school syllabus.
How can Bhagavad Gita be taught in the schools of a secular country? Bhagavad Gita is considered by the Hindutva forces as the holy text of Hindu religion. In a country of multi religious people, how can the ruling party take initiative in favour of the text of one religion? The meaning of being secular remains in the non-religious role of the governing state. The move is not fair at its initiation in the form of single member motion at the Parliament. The move of the ruling BJP is not equitable, as it has sworn to the governing responsibility to abide by the Indian Constitution, basically secular.
Are the contents of ‘Bhagavad Gita’ fair? It discriminates the entire section of the people unequally besides degrading half of the humankind viz. women folk. The discriminating and degrading verses are in Bhagavad Gita as ordained by ‘god’ in order to sanction divinity to the contents and sustain it.
Bhagavad Gita says,
“The fourfold – caste has been created by Me, according to the differentiation of Guna and Karma, though I am the author thereof know Me as non-doer and immutable”.
Chapter IV, Verse: 13
The menace of caste system has put many hurdles to the social progress and economic prosperity of the country. God says such a fourfold – caste system has been created by him based on the birth of the individuals. Besides it says the womenfolk originate in sinful birth.
“….. may be of a birth – from the sinful papayoni – women, vaishyas and sudras”.
Chapter IX, Verse: 32
God himself, perhaps being masculine, proclaims that the entire womenfolk were born from sinful female genitals along with vaishyas and sudras. How can the degradation of the major section of human population – women, vaishyas and sudras be destined by god himself?
If such a ‘holy’ text is prescribed compulsorily in schools, what would be the mentality of the students? Their self – respect and self – esteem will be kept at the lowest ebb. The younger generation should not be nurtured by the discriminating and degrading text.
The apex legislative body of the State must reject the Motion of Single Member – bringing ‘Bhagavad Gita’ in schools as text, in the initial stage itself. The opposition parties must protest the move in unison so that the menace of the ‘divine’ prescription would be proscribed from the school. All the women liberation organisations and progressive persons who are concerned on the advancement of humanity must protest and raise their voice against the retrograde move, initiated by the Member of the Parliament of the ruling party. BJP has been consistently bringing measures to convert the country from cultural pluralism to one culture, one language, one religion, leading the State from federal polity to unitary set-up, affecting the very unity and integrity of the country and its citizens.
