Gujarat PUCL's "secular" chief approvingly quotes RSS boss Mohan Bhagwat on new education policy

Bhagwat

By A Representative
In a surprise move, a senior official of People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) has quoted RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to justify his arguments in on working out a new education policy, for which Union human resources minister Smriti Irani had sought comments by December 15.
In his letter to Irani, dated December 15, Gautam Thaker, general secretary PUCL, Gujarat, singles out Bhagwat to justify why commercialization of education should be discouraged. Reference to Bhagwat, rather than any other prominent educationist, to prove his point is intriguing, as it comes amidst human rights organizations, including PUCL, increasingly criticizing the Narendra Modi government for “following” RSS’ Hindutva diktat.
Recently, Kavita Shrivastava, all-India PUCL vice-president, for instance, believes, "The RSS mindset has been working fast after Modi came to power.”
“The RSS policy is that if you insist on a different point of view or disagree with the RSS, they will eliminate you.” Calling it “the legacy of Nathuram Godse”, who killed Gandhiji, she added, it is being resurrected to “silence” rationalists likes of Govind Pansare and MM Kalburgi, whose murders have provoked widescale protest against the Modi government.
Thaker quotes Bhagwat as saying that in recent years there has been “incessant commercialization of education”, as a result of which education has become “out of reach of the common man.” Bhagwat adds, “As a result of this, the aims of education are not being fulfilled.”
Bhagwat has been further quoted as saying that “the government should work for promoting quality educational in such a way that such commercialize does not take place”, adding, “The process must begin by fixing criteria for the selection of teachers who are able to provide quality education.”
Interestingly, in his letter to Irani, Thaker, while providing his views on new education policy, does not even once recall the controversial books by veteran RSS "educationist" Dinanath Batra, which are now part of the state’s educational curriculum in Gujarat, with Haryana now all set to follow suit.
Batra’s books propose to ban the teaching of foreign languages in schools, “redraw” the map of India to include neighboring countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, etc., advises young minds not to celebrate birthdays with cake and candles, and, even as derogatorily identifying blacks as “Negroes”, seeking to suggest that they are criminals needed to be dumped.
Writing as general secretary, Citizen for Democracy (Gujarat), Thaker, curiously, despite quoting Bhagwat, talks of the need for “secularization” of education, which seeks to scientific temper, on one hand, and value-based education on the lines of those suggested by Mahatma Gandhi and Vinoba Bhave.
Seeking the implementation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act in its letter and spirit to promote universalization of education, Thaker insists that all children up to the age of 18 should be provided with free and compulsory education.
Thaker’s letter to Irani – written in Gujarati, and sent on December 15, the deadline by which the ministry had sought suggestions from public on working out a new education policy – said that private investment in higher education, which was to the tune of 62.32 billion dollars in 2013-14, would double by 2018.
“Already, 60 per cent of students study in private institutes”, Thaker said, pointing out that their main is not to promote education per se but to “profiteer” at the expense of the general public, which is “not proper.”

Comments

Telangana government urged to stop 'unconstitutional' relocation of Chenchu tribes

By A Representative The Nallamalla forests are witnessing a renewed surge of indigenous resistance as the Chenchu adivasis , a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), have formally launched the Chenchu Solidarity Forum (CSF) on the eve of World Earth Day to combat what they describe as unlawful and forced relocation from the Amrabad Tiger Reserve .

Kolkata dialogue flags policy and finance deficit in wetland sustainability

By A Representative Wetlands were the focus of India–Germany climate talks in Kolkata, where experts from government, business, and civil society stressed both their ecological importance and the urgent need for stronger conservation frameworks.

Dhandhuka violence: Gujarat minority group seeks judicial action, cites targeted arson

By A Representative The Minority Coordination Committee (MCC) Gujarat has written to the Director General of Police seeking judicial action in connection with recent violence in Dhandhuka town of Ahmedabad district, alleging targeted attacks on properties belonging to members of the Muslim community following a fatal altercation between two bike riders on April 18.

Cracks in Gujarat model? Surat’s exodus reveals precarity behind prosperity claims

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The return of migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, particularly from Gujarat, was inevitable. Gujarat has long been showcased as the epitome of “infrastructure” and the business-friendly Modi model. Yet, when governments become business-friendly, they require the poor to serve them—while keeping them precarious, unable to stabilize, demand fair wages, or assert their rights. The agenda is clear: workers must remain grateful for whatever crumbs the Seth ji offers.

'Fraudulent': Ex-civil servants urge President to halt Odisha tribal land dispossession

By A Representative A collective of 81 retired civil servants from the Constitutional Conduct Group has written to the President of India expressing alarm over what they describe as the wrongful dispossession of tribal lands in Odisha’s Rayagada district. The letter, dated April 19, 2026, highlights violent clashes in Kantamal village where police personnel reportedly injured over 70 tribal residents attempting to protect their community rights.

India 'violating international law obligations' over Israel ties: UN rapporteur

By A Representative Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, has alleged that India is “violating its obligations under international law” through its continued association with Israel, including defence ties and alleged arms exports during the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Chromatographies of the self: Gender, labour, and resistance in Deepti Kushwah's verse

By Ravi Ranjan* Any sensitive reader of contemporary Hindi poetry will find it impossible to overlook the eight poems by Deepti Kushwah recently published in Samalochan . This suite—comprising works such as ‘Ekākelī ābha’ (A Solitary Radiance), ‘Praśna mem camaktā huā’ (Glowing in the Question), and ‘Ek ankahī tapis’ (An Unspoken Heat)—constructs a multidimensional collage where colour transcends mere visual experience.

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.

Why Tamil Nadu, Periyar, and the Dravidian model aren't just regional phenomena

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The election campaign in Tamil Nadu this season is strikingly different. The alliance led by the DMK is consistently referred to as the “ DMK alliance ,” not the “INDIA alliance.” This distinction is unsurprising given the state’s history: Tamil Nadu remains the only state to decisively reject “national” parties. The AIADMK’s surrender to the BJP after J. Jayalalithaa ’s death represents, in many ways, a betrayal of the politics of Tamil identity—an identity Periyar envisioned as Dravidian, not narrowly Tamil.

Search This Blog