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Arjun's remarks on RSS schools flayed

Special Correspondent

"Union Minister ill-informed"

Union Human Resources Minister Arjun Singh

JAIPUR: Rajasthan Education Minister Ghanshyam Tiwari on Wednesday lashed out at Union Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh for suggesting action against educational institutions run by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, saying his insinuations against the RSS smacked of his "prejudice and communal mindset''.

The Central Advisory Board for Education (CABE), a report of which has been cited to justify action against the Saraswati Shishu Mandir chain of schools, was heavily dominated by Leftists and had no official status except to act as a consultative body, Mr. Tiwari told reporters here.

Mr. Arjun Singh had hinted at action against schools run by RSS-affiliated organisations on the basis of a CABE report at a function of the Congress' student wing NSUI on Monday while cautioning people about "venom'' injected into the society by educational organisations of the saffron brigade.

CABE suggestion

The CABE has suggested that books taught in schools run by religious outfits like RSS be monitored by a regulatory body. The HRD Ministry has reportedly drafted a proposal, following the recommendation, for establishing a National Book Monitoring Body for the textbooks available in schools not run by the Government.

Mr. Tiwari said Mr. Arjun Singh wanted to create communal tension by his controversial remarks and his fresh offensive against RSS had political overtones "with an obvious eye on the vote bank''. He said the HRD Minister's charge against the RSS-run schools was highly objectionable as they were engaged in inculcating nationalism in the younger generation.

"Mr. Singh is ill-informed about the curriculum of Shishu Mandirs and other RSS-run schools. All Adarsh Vidya Mandirs of RSS in Rajasthan are recognised by the State Government and they strictly adhere to the syllabus prescribed by the State Secondary Education Board. Where is the question of injecting venom in the society?" said Mr. Tiwari.

Asked about the role of Shishu Mandirs in influencing the minds of children in a particular way at an impressionable age, Mr. Tiwari said he was ready for any probe by the Central Government into the functioning of these institutions. "Any inquiry against RSS-run schools will prove to be a damp squib,'' he said.

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