Suvendu wants 1,000 RSS-run schools in a year

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has announced an ambitious plan to establish at least 1,000 schools run by the RSS-affiliated Vidya Bharati education wing in each district, municipality, and panchayat across the state within a year. At an event marking the 74th anniversary of Vidya Bharati, Adhikari made the announcement and invited senior officials from the organization to meet with government officials and collaborate on the plan.

Currently, Vidya Bharati operates 313 schools in West Bengal, but Adhikari aims to expand its presence, particularly in Murshidabad and South 24 Parganas, which he claims are plagued by anti-national activities. He criticized the previous Trinamool Congress (TMC) government for damaging the education environment and altering the Bengali syllabus to divide people, neglecting lessons from intellectuals like Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar and Swami Vivekananda.

Adhikari proposed merging the state's four education departments under one administration, echoing Syama Prasad Mookerjee's call for "ek desh, ek bidhan, ek nishan, ek pradhan." He dismissed the idea of separate administrative arrangements for madrassa education and questioned why the minority affairs department sent a separate list of Muslim students after felicitating board exam toppers.

Adhikari himself had already acknowledged and felicitated 20 students from various backgrounds, including Muslims, Jains, and Buddhists. Vidya Bharati schools focus on instilling a sense of Indianness and patriotism while incorporating puja rituals into the curriculum.