Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday called for annual programmes to instil nationalism among students, taking a veiled swipe at the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) while announcing syllabus changes from the next academic year.
Adhikari proposed three-day elocution, quiz and debate programmes in all educational institutions every year, saying these would help students imbibe nationalism and stay away from the influence of “vices like cockroaches”.
“Vices like cockroaches, bedbugs, tukde tukde gangs… which are trying to spread like the coronavirus… would not have required the spraying of ‘Hit’ (had they not tried to spread),” he said.
Hit is a brand of mosquito and bug-repellent spray.
The chief minister made the remarks after meeting a family that lost a member in the October 17 stampede at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata.
Attacking the Left parties and the previous Trinamool Congress government, Adhikari accused both of undermining Bengal’s heritage and culture.
“The 34-year long regime of the ‘nastik’ (atheist) Communists and the 15-year dispensation (of the TMC) tried to erase people’s heritage and culture,” he said.
He also accused the Mamata Banerjee-led government of trying to stop enrolments in the National Cadet Corps (NCC) at educational institutions and introducing the Jai Hind Vahini instead.
“Being in the NCC would have helped the students get selected as Agniveers in the armed forces,” Adhikari said.
He claimed that those who drove Tata Motors out of Singur had been “eulogised” in a chapter in school history books during the TMC’s rule, referring to former chief minister Mamata Banerjee and the anti-land acquisition agitations.
“Changes will be seen in the syllabi from the next academic year,” he said, asserting that the National Education Policy would be implemented in Bengal.
Adhikari also opposed students’ use of mobile phones up to Class 12.
He said students would receive tablets to support their studies instead of the Rs 10,000 that the previous government had provided to each Class 11 student for buying mobile phones.
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The chief minister further said the BJP government would not allow literature in Bengal that was anti-India, anti-Sanatani or hurt any religion.
“People have repulsed such attempts that were undertaken by setting up stalls,” he said, alluding to book stalls set up by Left parties in parts of the state.