E-Paper
‘Like a test to be party prez’: 6 questions on Cong in Class 12 exam angers BJP
The BJP said the excessive stress on Congress in the Rajasthan state board’s class 12 political science paper was an attempt by the Congress’s Ashok Gehlot government to politicise education system in the state.
JAIPUR: Six questions on the Congress party in Rajasthan state board’s Class XII exams on Thursday has ignited a controversy with the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accusing the state’s ruling party of politicising education and demanding action against teachers who finalised the paper.
In the political science paper for class 12, students were asked to list the Congress’s ideology and the number of seats won by the party in the 1984 Lok Sabha elections held after assassination of Indira Gandhi. Another question asked students to name the party that won the first three elections in Rajasthan. The answer was the Congress.
The students were also asked to explain how the general election of 1971 proved to be an election for the re-establishment of the Congress in the country. In another question, the students were asked to name the political leader who came up with the slogan Garibi Hatao (eradicate poverty).
To be sure, there was a question each on the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Communist Party of India (CPI) in the board examination for Class 12 students of political science Students were also asked to list the reasons for the split in the communist party and name the BSP founder.
But there were no questions relating to the BJP which has been in power for nearly two decades in Rajasthan.
The BJP said the questions around the Congress were an attempt by the Congress’s Ashok Gehlot government to politicise education system in the state.
“Congress government in Rajasthan is working to politicise education. Unfortunately, the class 12 political science paper appeared to be a test to be (appiointed) the Congress national president post,” Rajasthan BJP spokesperson and lawmaker Ram Lal Sharma said..
Sonia Gandhi has been the Congress’ interim president after Rahul Gandhi stepped down following the Congress’s stunning defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The new Congress national president is to be elected by September this year.
He said it was unfortunate that the state government was working to teach the history of Congress to children and demanded that the teacher who has put such questions in paper should be immediately suspended.
Rajasthan school education minister, BD Kalla distanced the government from the question paper but stressed there was nothing wrong. “The board of secondary education is an autonomous body and the government does not interfere in it. If you see old exam papers, you will find that there are many questions related to other parties.” He added that the questions in political science were not selected by the government and experts set the paper.
A senior official of the education department aware of the developments defended the choice of questions, saying none of the questions redflagged by the BJP were out of syllabus. The questions are asked based on the syllabus prepared by NCERT, a central government institution, he said.
