Former Karnataka Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah said that he has no objection in teaching Bhagavad Gita in schools, but what about our secular constitution? In fact, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday defended the state government’s plans to introduce the Bhagavad Gita in schools, saying the statement imparts moral values.
Speaking to reporters in Mangaluru, Siddaramaiah said: “I don’t mind teaching the Bhagavad Gita. Whether they teach the Bhagavad Gita, the Quran or the Bible, we don’t mind. We want the students to have quality education to meet the demand in this competitive world. Students should not be deprived of quality education. Children are also taught Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana and Mahabharata at home. Children should be given moral education.”
He further said that the party believes in the Constitution and secularism and no one should act against the Constitution. He said that the country believes in a pluralistic society and we believe in harmony and tolerance.
Talking about the party’s political stand on the issue, he said that “Congress is not for soft and hard Hindutva. We also believe in Hinduism and give respect to all religions in the country… People of any religion should not become communal. We need to respect all religions in the country.”
Significantly, the Gujarat government on Thursday announced that the 700-shloka Hindu scripture will now be part of the syllabus for classes 6-12 from the academic year 2022-23. After this, Karnataka Education Minister BC Nagesh has also said that the state government will discuss with the Chief Minister and educationists before taking a decision on including Bhagavad Gita in the state’s schools.