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No objection to Gita in schools: Siddaramaiah
The Congress leader said that the party believes in the Constitution and secularism, and no one should act against the Constitution.
Former Karnataka chief minister and Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah on Sunday said that he does not have any objections to teaching the Bhagavad Gita in schools.
The statement comes a day after Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai defended the state government’s plans to introduce the Hindu scripture in state schools, saying that it imparts moral values.
Talking to reporters in Mangaluru, Siddaramaiah said, “I do not have any objections to teaching Bhagavad Gita. Whether they teach Bhagavad Gita, Quran or Bible, we don’t have any objection. We want students to get a quality education to meet the demand in this competitive world. Students should not be denied quality education. Children are taught Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana and Mahabharatha at home as well. Moral education should be taught to children.”
The Congress leader said that the party believes in the Constitution and secularism, and no one should act against the Constitution.
“The country believes in a pluralistic society and we believe in harmony and tolerance,” he added.
Talking about the party’s political stand on the issue, he said that the Congress party is not in favour of ‘soft Hindutva’. “Congress is not for soft and hard Hindutva. We, too, believe in the Hindu religion and give respect for all the religions in the country… people from any religion should not become communal. We need to respect all the religions in the country,” he said.
On Thursday, the Gujarat government announced that the 700-verse Hindu scripture will now be a part of the syllabus for classes 6-12 from the academic year 2022-23. This was followed by Karnataka education minister BC Nagesh, who said on Friday the state will discuss with the chief minister and educationists before taking a call.
Nagesh had said that the Bhagavad Gita is “for all” and not just for Hindus. Bhagavad Gita is not only for Hindus; it is for all. If experts say it will be introduced - not from this year but next year,” the education minister had said.
On Saturday, Bommai defended the state government’s plans to introduce Bhagavad Gita in schools, saying that the scripture imparts moral values.“In the competitive era, there is a need for moral education among children,” said Bommai in north Karnataka’s Yadgir district.
While appealing not to create a controversy over the issue, he further said that religious scripture would increase the intelligence level of the students. “If Bhagavad Gita is incorporated in the textbook, it will improve the intelligence level among the children. What is wrong with it? The education department is also making preparations to introduce it in our state. Let them give their report first. We will then decide in this regard,” he said.
Announcing the addition of Bhagavad Gita to the school syllabus, a Gujarat state government circular said the idea is to “cultivate a sense of pride and connection to traditions.”
