Cong takes dig at Modi Teachers’ Day address

Having accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “forcing” schoolchildren to listen to his Teachers’ Day address, the Congress on Friday was unimpressed with the content of the PM’s speech. Taking a dig at the Prime Minister, who virtually turned into a teacher on Friday, it said that teachers should allow students to develop their personalities and not impose their own on them.

Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid said the occasion should have been used to make a substantive intervention and “not just create opportunities to project anyone and to reach out to the real cause.”

“I don’t think one can say the cause of the teachers has been adequately addressed. We could have thought of making teaching a noble profession. There are some teachers who live in very difficult circumstances especially in rural areas. It could have been used as a substantive moment to reach out to improve the lives of teachers,” he said.

Khurshid made light of Modi’s answer to a student suggesting that he would remain Prime Minister for 10 years. “This he has said to the children…,” Khurshid said, adding that who knows what has fate in store.