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Decision on Rajiv schools angers Congress.

Special Correspondent

State-wide protests staged, effigies of Chief Minister burnt

JAIPUR: Stung by the Rajasthan Government's decision to do away with the Golden Jubilee Schools named after the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, the Congress Party on Monday staged State-wide protests which included burning effigies of Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje in all the district headquarter towns.

The party has taken a decision to carry the protests to all the places where the 16,000-odd Rajiv Gandhi Pathshalas or single-teacher schools created by the previous Congress Government are located.

This has been the most concerted protest from the Congress on the issue of removal of Rajiv Gandhi's name though the party men had been opposing the renaming spree by the Bharatiya Janata Party Government ever since it came to power in the State in December 2003. The initial places where the hatchet job was done included the Rajiv Gandhi Shiksha Sankul, built during the previous Government's time to house the offices of the Education Department and, the National Park located in Kota Division of the State, named after Rajiv Gandhi.

The BJP Government, soon after assuming office had done away with the Rajiv Gandhi Drinking Water Mission. The Congressmen are bitter about the renaming of the Shiksha Sankul— presently named after Dr.Radhakrishnan, the late President— and the Darah National Park, as both were the creations of the Congress Government.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi had an "overview" of the sanctuary from an aircraft during one her visits to Rajasthan when the party was in power.

In fact the Kota sanctuary was chosen to be named after Rajiv Gandhi after strong opposition from the BJP on a move earlier to name the world famous Project Tiger reserve, Ranthambhore National Park, after him.

The Government, in a phased manner, had been upgrading the "patshalas" in the past. Unlike the other name changes, which were carried out rather brazenly, this one was done subtly— by changing the character of the schools. Though the "patshalas" have graduated into schools, the para teachers or the Grade III "Shiksha Sahayogis" once employed with them would continue.

"The BJP Government's attempt is to undermine the good work done by the previous Congress Government in the State," Congress general secretary and former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said commenting on the decision to do away with Rajiv Gandhi Patshalas. "The schools were established to commemorate the golden jubilee of the country's Independence. Rajiv Gandhi's name suited these centres which had greatly contributed to improve the literacy rate in Rajasthan as he was the exponent of the New Education Policy and computer education in the country," Mr.Gehlot said.

Leading protest demonstration at Manak Chowk in the Walled City area of the capital, Pradesh Congress Committee president B.D.Kalla said the change in nomenclature of the schools was reflective of the "distorted outlook" of the BJP Government in the State. The act, both undemocratic and unconstitutional, would be challenged in courts, he said.

The BJP spokesperson Kailash Nath Bhat on Monday however denied any mala fide intention on the part of the State Government in removing Rajiv Gandhi's name.

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Decision on Rajiv schools angers Congress.

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