West Bengal to establish 1,000 RSS-linked schools amid concerns over Hindutva ideology
Kolkata: BJP-ruled West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has announced plans to establish at least 1,000 schools run by Vidya Bharati, the education wing of the Hindu right-wing organization Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), within a year, raising concerns over official patronage of Hindutva ideology.
Speaking at an event in Kolkata marking Vidya Bharati’s 74th anniversary, Adhikari said the schools would be established across every district, municipality and panchayat in the state.
He urged Vidya Bharati to establish more schools in Murshidabad and South 24 Parganas, alleging that “more anti-national activities” took place in these districts.
Vidya Bharati Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Sansthan, the educational wing of the RSS, runs thousands of schools across India and has long faced criticism over its promotion of Hindutva ideology through education.
Critics have accused the organisation of promoting communal and anti-Muslim narratives through its textbooks and teaching practices. Former students and teachers have also alleged that Vidya Bharati schools promote anti-Muslim rhetoric and RSS-linked ideological views.
Adhikari also warned that government funding could be withdrawn from schools that refused to sing the complete version of “Vande Mataram.”
He accused the previous Trinamool Congress government of “polluting” educational institutions and asked Vidya Bharati to take responsibility for promoting “nationalistic learning”.
“And our thinking is that there should not be separate forms of education, Madrasa education and other forms of education. All of it should be one education system,” he said.
