On Guru Purnima, HRD minister Javadekar honours ‘teacher-turned-MPs’

The Union HRD minister Prakash Javadekar said Parliament is full of luminaries from various fields, be it education, medicine or other professions, as against what is generally projected.

Human resource development minister Prakash Javadekar felicitated parliamentarians who have contributed to the field of teaching on the occasion of Guru Purnima on Tuesday.

On the occasion of Guru Purnima, the HRD minister Prakash Javadekar felicitated Union minister Jitendra Singh as he honoured all MPs from academic background at Parliament House in New Delhi on Tuesday. (Arvind Yadav/ HT Photo)

Javadekar said Parliament is full of luminaries from various fields, be it education, medicine or other professions, as against what is generally projected. About 50 such MPs were invited by the minister of whom 30 attended.

Those felicitated were given a Tulsi plant and a CD containing Mahatma Gandhi’s works.

Javadekar with all the MPs from academic background on Guru Purnima. (Arvind Yadav/ HT Photo )

Deputy chairperson of Rajya Sabha PJ Kurien, Union minister Jitendra Singh, Congress MP Karan Singh, former minister KV Thomas, TMC MP Saugata Roy and BJP MP Subramanian Swamy were among the MPs who were felicitated.

The move, though welcomed by MPs, drew flak from academicians. “Why should you expect a Hindutva brigade to celebrate or do something secular?” noted historian DN Jha said. He brushed aside the function, saying such celebrations did not have any importance in academic circles. A number of professors and teachers said the government should keep itself away from such events.