Chhattisgarh government has mandated daily recitation of the Gayatri Mantra and other Hindu prayers along with the national anthem and national song across all schools. The direction to conduct a series of daily cultural, educational, and value-based activities is aimed at fostering patriotism, promoting students' intellectual development, and familiarising them with Indian culture and traditions, said an official statement.
Demanding to withdraw the order, this decision has been questioned by the opposition, Congress party, asking the necessity to make recitation of Hindu prayers compulsory in schools as students of other faiths also study there, and accused the BJP government of trying to impose the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)'s agenda in schools.
According to an order issued by the School Education Department to all District Education Officers (DEOs) on June 12, the schools will now conduct mandatory activities at three different times during the day, a government official said. Under the new guidelines, the morning assembly will include the national anthem, national song, Deep Mantra, Saraswati Vandana, Guru Mantra, and readings of biographies of great personalities, he said.
During the mid-day meal, students will collectively recite a food prayer (Bhojan Mantra), while the closing session at the end of the school day will include the state song, Gayatri Mantra, and Shanti Mantra, he added.
The initiative is intended to foster patriotism, discipline, moral values, and cultural awareness among students while strengthening their connection with Indian traditions and national ideals, he added.
The government has directed the DEOs to ensure strict implementation of the order. Officials will conduct inspections of schools, and administrative action may be taken against school managements or principals found violating the prescribed guidelines, the official added. Reacting to the decision, Chhattisgarh Congress communication department chairman Sushil Anand Shukla questioned the need to make religious chants compulsory in educational institutions.
"Recitation of the national anthem, national song and state song is appropriate. But why have the Gayatri Mantra, Deep Mantra, Saraswati Mantra and Bhojan Mantra been made mandatory? The government appears determined to turn schools into Saraswati Shishu Mandirs. Imposing the RSS agenda in government schools is wrong," Shukla said.
Saraswati Shishu Mandirs are schools operated by Vidya Bharati Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Sansthan, which serves as the educational wing of the RSS.
He said that students from all religions, castes and communities study in government schools and that making the recitation of specific religious mantras compulsory could hurt the sentiments of people belonging to other faiths.
India is a secular country and our Constitution guarantees equal respect for all religions. Education in government schools should not be based on any particular religion, he said.
Shukla said India's education system has traditionally treated all faiths equally and warned that mandatory recitation of Hindu religious mantras in government schools could lead members of other communities to demand the inclusion of verses from the Quran, Gurbani or the Bible.
Senior Congress leader and former deputy chief minister T S Singh Deo also criticised the move, saying it was contrary to the spirit of the Constitution. He said that religious freedom is a fundamental constitutional right and that the recitation of prayers or mantras associated with any faith should remain voluntary.
Those who wish to worship their deities or recite religious mantras should be free to do so. But such practices cannot be imposed on followers of other religions. Forcing anyone to participate in the religious traditions or prayers of another faith is completely wrong, he said.
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