Karnataka school education minister BC Nagesh, responding to a question by legislative member MK Pranesh during the ongoing assembly session at Vidhana Soudha on Monday, said that the government will introduce Bhagavad Gita in schools and colleges from this academic year itself. He also added that the Bhagavad Gita will be part of moral education from this year and a committee will be formed soon to take a decision on the same. Nagesh has been mulling the inclusion of Bhagavad Gita in schools and colleges and had also courted controversy after claiming that the Gita, unlike the Quran and the Bible, is not a religious book, instead it teaches ‘values of life’. Condemning Nagesh’s statements, Ajay Kamath, secretary, All India Democratic Students Organization (AIDSO), Karnataka said, “In the name of moral education, the government is trying to sneak religious matters into education by proposing to teach Bhagavad Gita. Ancient education system has for centuries kept the majority of people, including the poor, dalits, oppressed and women, away from learning and receiving education.” He also added that including the Gita is a ploy to introduce unscientific, old and blind ideas among students and create a rift among them for political gains.
