Sinha proposes Sanskrit as mandatory subject in IIOJK schools
National Conference slams LG Sinha for undue interference
Srinagar: The occupation administration led by the Delhi-installed Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has stirred fresh controversy in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir by initiating a move to make Sanskrit education mandatory in schools across the territory, a step seen by critics as part of a larger ideological agenda under India’s National Educational Policy (NEP) 2020.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the move comes just days after India’s Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) scrapped Urdu language as a qualifying criterion for the post of Naib Tehsildar in the territory, sparking allegations of cultural imposition.
Reacting sharply, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC) accused the LG of interfering in governance and education policy in a politically sensitive territory. In a statement, the party expressed concern over what it called a “top-down imposition driven by ideological motives rather than academic merit or local relevance.”
The NC emphasized that such decisions should emerge from local legislative processes and reflect the linguistic and cultural diversity of the territory, rather than being dictated by external ideological frameworks.
“This isn’t about promoting a classical language; it’s about sidelining the local ethos and replacing it with a singular cultural narrative,” an NC spokesperson said, warning that such measures could further alienate the population and deepen the sense of disenfranchisement in the already volatile territory.
