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