Jaipur: The life of Narendra Modi, who on Monday will become Prime Minister of India, will soon be part of the school curriculum in Rajasthan.
State education minister Kalicharan Saraf had announced prior to the Lok Sabha results that if the BJP came to power, and Mr Modi became Prime Minister, a chapter on his remarkable journey from tea boy to PM would be introduced into the school curriculum.
“Students will be taught about Modi’s struggle and achievement. Inspirational events from his life would be incorporated in this chapter,” Mr Saraf had said.
The plan was was opposed by the Congress whose spokesperson Ms Archana Sharma said the party would oppose the move. “Announcing a chapter on Modi if he became Prime Minister even before results were out was nothing but sycophancy. Even though he is going to be PM, let him first prove himself,” Ms Sharma said.
But Mr Saraf ridiculed her opposition. “It is not just the prerogative of the Gandhi-Nehru family to be taught in school curriculum. If full chapters can be dedicated to Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira and Rajiv Gandhi, why can’t the life stories of other deserving leaders be included,” he asked.
On the other hand, Ms Sharma said, “Modi’s biography is incomplete without mention of the Gujarat riots. But do they have the courage to incorporate this part of his life in the chapter?” she said.
Knowing that a chapter on Mr Modi alone might create a controversy, Mr Saraf has now changed the original plan. “Not just Modi but the biographies of other PMs, like Atal Behari Vajpayee, Morarji Desai and Charan Singh, would also be taught,” he said.
