By Pervez Bari
Bhopal, August 13: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government in Madhya Pradesh has mandated the inclusion of books authored by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ideologues in the curriculum of colleges across the state. The directive, issued by the Madhya Pradesh Higher Education Department, has ignited a political controversy, with opposition parties accusing the government of promoting a divisive agenda, while the state government defends the move as a step away from what it describes as the previously imposed anti-national ideology.
In an official communication, Dr. Dhirendra Shukla, a senior official in the Higher Education Department, instructed principals of both government and private colleges to acquire a set of 88 books authored by leaders associated with RSS and its educational arm, Vidya Bharti. Notable authors on the list include Suresh Soni, Dinanath Batra, D. Atul Kothari, Devendra Rao Deshmukh, and Sandeep Waslekar, among others.
Suresh Soni, an RSS ideologue, authored three of the prescribed books, while Dinanath Batra, former Vidya Bharti general secretary, contributed 14 titles – the most by any single author on the list. Batra is well-known for his influence on educational policies, having previously advocated for the removal of revolutionary Punjabi poet Avtar Pash’s poem “Sabse Khatrnaak” from a Class XI Hindi textbook. His works were also introduced into Gujarat’s primary and upper-primary school curriculum several years ago.
The list also features 10 books by Dr. Atul Kothari, former ABVP general secretary and current national secretary of Shiksha Sanskriti Uthan Nyas, another RSS-affiliated organization. Other entries include compilations of Vidya Bharti publications and a book on personality development by Swami Vivekananda. Several books on Vedic mathematics are also part of the curriculum.
This initiative is aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which calls for the establishment of “Bharatiya Gyan Parampara Prakosth” (Cells for Imparting Traditional Knowledge of India) in colleges. The directive specifies that government-run colleges should fund the purchase of these books through public-private partnerships, while private institutions must use their own funds.
The directive follows a statement made in June by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, who announced plans to incorporate teachings related to Lord Ram and Lord Krishna into the state’s educational system. Yadav, a staunch advocate of integrating Indian cultural and religious traditions into education, served as the Higher Education Minister in the previous BJP regime.
Congress leader K.K. Mishra has strongly opposed the order, arguing that the authors whose works are being introduced are more aligned with a specific ideology than with educational enrichment. He questioned whether such books would truly inspire patriotism and sacrifice among students, promising that the order would be revoked if the Congress party comes to power.
Responding to the criticism, BJP’s state unit president VD Sharma defended the move, stating that the prescribed books are intended to enhance students’ knowledge. Sharma criticized the previous Congress-led government for including literature that he claims was aligned with Leftist ideologies and foreign invaders.
