West Bengal CM warns fund cut if schools do not sing Vande Mataram

Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday warned the government-aided schools of the State of losing their grants if they tried to stonewall the complete rendition of Vande Mataram in their respective institutions, saying his Government would not allow the agenda of the Left and the Trinamool Congress to continue during his era. 

Thanking providence for a timely change in the political leadership in the State but for which the educational system in Bengal would have become the one like Islamic republic of Bangladesh, he said, there were some schools who were objecting to the full rendition of Vande Mataram but “I have told them that if they do not follow the Government guidelines then the aid would stop... They budged but only partially... Some were standing up... But I have told them that their lips must move with the song.”  

Alleging that the previous Left and TMC Governments had destroyed the education system in Bengal to perpetrate their “appeasement politics” in the past 50 years of their rule, Adhikari said, “the words like Maa, Jal and Akaash were merrily replaced by Amma, Pani and Asman just to appease some people.” 

Incidentally, another senior BJP leader had earlier reminded how the characters in Arithmetic books of the State Government had changed during the TMC Government with introduction of Arabic or Persian characters to “humor the vote bank.”

Adhikari also said that he had requested Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to make National Cadet Corps mandatory in schools. “I have requested Rajnath Singh ji to make more Sainik schools in Bengal and make NCC mandatory in the school ... I have already sent a letter to him and promised to do whatever has to be done.”

Saying that the people of Bengal were used to giving time to the political parties to perform like they gave to the Left that ruled for 34 years and the TMC, which lasted 15 years adding, “the present change (bringing BJP to power) has come at the right time or else the education system in Bengal had become the one resembling Islamic education system of Bangladesh.”

Accusing the Left of removing English at the primary education level and the TMC for hitting at the traditional values, heritage, patriotism he said had those Government be allowed to continue in power, Bengal would have lost its culture forever.

Incidentally, Adhikari had earlier promised “cleansing” of the existing culture in the elite Jadavpur University campus, saying, “now the Sanatani Government is in power we promise to cleanse the JU campus and other such institutions where anti-national activities continue.”