PM Modi’s Teachers’ Day plans hit a few roadblocks
2 Sept 2014 5:58 AM IST
However, human resources development minister Smriti Irani said the opposition was ‘regrettable’ and made it clear that the students’ participation in the interaction is ‘voluntary’.
While commenting on Smriti Irani’s new farman, West Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee said that they have little time to make the necessary arrangements.
Congress leader Manish Tewari termed the renaming of the day merely a ‘packaging’ exercise and said the government is trying to ‘change packaging and labelling and then trying to pass them off as innovative initiatives’.
Two of BJP’s Tamil Nadu allies on Monday joined DMK in opposing renaming of Teachers’ Day as ‘Guru Utsav’, with PMK terming it as a discreet attempt to impose Sanskrit.
Leaders of PMK and MDMK, S Ramadoss and Vaiko, demanded that the Centre immediately withdraw the order to rename Teachers’ Day as ‘Guru Utsav.’
DMK chief M Karunanidhi had already opposed the move, alleging it to be a conspiracy to downgrade Tamil language and society. As the government’s decision came under attack, Irani met the media twice during the day to do damage control.
She said the government has not changed the name of the day celebrated as Teachers’ Day on the occasion of the birth anniversary of the late President S Radhakrishnan.
The minister said it was an essay competition named ‘Guru Utsav’ to celebrate teachers’ contribution and ‘if anybody who has objection to the fact that teachers are to be revered I regret it’.
While commenting on Smriti Irani’s new farman, West Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee said that they have little time to make the necessary arrangements.
Congress leader Manish Tewari termed the renaming of the day merely a ‘packaging’ exercise and said the government is trying to ‘change packaging and labelling and then trying to pass them off as innovative initiatives’.
Two of BJP’s Tamil Nadu allies on Monday joined DMK in opposing renaming of Teachers’ Day as ‘Guru Utsav’, with PMK terming it as a discreet attempt to impose Sanskrit.
Leaders of PMK and MDMK, S Ramadoss and Vaiko, demanded that the Centre immediately withdraw the order to rename Teachers’ Day as ‘Guru Utsav.’
DMK chief M Karunanidhi had already opposed the move, alleging it to be a conspiracy to downgrade Tamil language and society. As the government’s decision came under attack, Irani met the media twice during the day to do damage control.
She said the government has not changed the name of the day celebrated as Teachers’ Day on the occasion of the birth anniversary of the late President S Radhakrishnan.
The minister said it was an essay competition named ‘Guru Utsav’ to celebrate teachers’ contribution and ‘if anybody who has objection to the fact that teachers are to be revered I regret it’.
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