Gayatri Mantra rule draws criticism
A political and social controversy has erupted in Chhattisgarh over the decision to make the recitation of the Gayatri Mantra mandatory during morning assemblies in government schools.
Ambikapur | Correspondent: A political and social controversy has erupted in Chhattisgarh over the decision to make the recitation of the Gayatri Mantra mandatory during morning assemblies in government schools. Opposing this move, the Congress Minority Cell and the Rahnuma Education Society submitted a memorandum to the Education Minister through the Sarguja Collector, demanding the immediate withdrawal of the order.
Minority organizations have clearly stated that this decision undermines the country's secular principles and its social fabric.
The opposition and various organizations have accused the state government of trying to divert attention from real issues. Launching a scathing attack, Rashid Ansari, District President of the Congress Minority Cell, stated that the government should focus on addressing serious crises such as inflation, rising unemployment, exam paper leaks, and a crumbling education system currently plaguing the nation and the state. Instead, the government is attempting to turn educational institutions into arenas for communal politics, which is a matter of grave concern.
Meanwhile, Indrajit Singh Dhanjal, President of the Ambikapur City Block Congress Committee, alleged that both the central and state governments are manipulating the sacred sphere of education to serve their own electoral interests.
Former Deputy Chief Minister T.S. Singh Deo has also expressed strong objection to the government's stance on this matter. Singh Deo remarked that the recitation or observance of any religious mantra is entirely a matter of personal faith and individual choice.
Religious freedom is a fundamental tenet of our Constitution; if the government attempts to forcibly impose a specific religious practice, it constitutes a direct violation of constitutional values. He emphasized that while every citizen has the full freedom to worship their deities, making such practices mandatory for everyone is completely inappropriate.
It is worth noting that the School Education Department had issued an order regarding this matter on June 12. Under this new rule, the recitation of the Gayatri Mantra, Deep Mantra, Bhojan Mantra, and other shlokas alongside the National Anthem and the National Song has been made mandatory during the daily prayer assembly in government schools, a move that has sparked widespread opposition across the state.
