PM’s saffron-green twist: Opp sees red

‘‘It was unfortunate that the Prime Minister could not resist temptation in making such an insinuation. In our view it does not behove a person occupying such a high office to make such a comment,’’ he said.

While attending the birthday bash for party leader and Union Minister for Human Resource Development M.M. Joshi, Vajpayee criticised Opposition for accusing Joshi of saffronising education. He said Joshi, being a saffronite, a colour denoting ahuti, balidaan, cannot be expected to ‘‘green’’ the system.

The CPI also said Vajpayee’s remarks on ‘‘saffronisation’’ of school curriculum revealed his penchant for looking at everything in ‘‘communal idioms and symbolism — either saffron or green.’’

Taking exception to Vajpayee’s remarks ‘‘Joshi bhagwa rang nahin denge to kya hara rang denge?’’ (if he is not to give a saffron colour, should he give it green), the party, in a release, asked: ‘‘Is there no other way the curriculum should be looked at — secular, democratic, forward looking, objective and scientific?’’

‘‘His latest remark strikes out all the pose that was assumed in his ‘Goa musings’ about hindutva implying ‘bharatiyata’ and the unity of all people in India,’’ the CPI said. ‘‘The Prime Minister of the country should speak in such terms to please his own partymen was both regrettable and deplorable.’’