Senior parliamentarian and the BJD floor leader in Lok Sabha Bhartruhari Mahtab has raised the issue of revised education code for Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan comprising compulsory recitation of common prayers in Sanskrit by students in all central schools.
“Today, we hear that the secular character is being tarnished because of the invocations in Sanskrit. The judge of the Supreme Court has also referred to the Sanskrit Sloka from Upanishads ‘Yato Dharma Tato Jaya’ which is written in the Supreme Court,” Mahtab said. “Even in Lok Sabha, Dharma Chakra Pravartanaya is written in the panel. Does it mean that something which is being recited in Sanskrit is not secular,” he wanted to know.
He said in Lok Sabha on Tuesday the issue has been raised in various fora and also challenged in the Supreme Court.
“Some parents, children and organisations from certain communities do not agree with this common prayer,” he has said during Zero Hour and maintained it has been challenged whether compulsory recitation of common prayers in KVs is constitutionally permissible or not.
“This is something which should have been avoided at the Supreme Court level itself in the beginning,” he remarked.
“It is a common fact that the common prayers that are being sung in Kendriya Vidyalayas are from Upanishads, which are widely acclaimed by one and all in this world. Our original Constitution has the motifs of Ramayana, Mahabharata and Upanishads, which are on display both in the Parliament House Library and also in the Teen Murti Bhavan Library and it was never questioned as to why it had features of Hindu religion,” he pointed out.
The senior lawmaker also said that all should say in one voice that this is something which is universal truth and which should be acclaimed throughout the country and also in every educational institution.
“I would urge upon the Government also to put forth a viewpoint before the Supreme Court and I would like a response from the Government in this regard,” he has maintained.
