It's poisoning of young minds, says V.P. Singh

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, SEPT. 14. The former Prime Minister, Mr. V. P. Singh, on Friday likened the ``saffronisation of education'' by the BJP- led Central Government to ``poisoning of young minds, the first step taken by a fascist regime all through history.''

He was addressing a students' rally, organised by the All-India Students Federation, against ``communalisation and commercialisation of education'' in connection with its 65th anniversary here. Students from different parts of the country took out a colourful procession from Sundaraiah Park to Madupu Chandraiah Gardens, the venue of the rally, christened Com. M. Farooqui Nagar.

Mr. Singh said the saffronisation was part of the BJP's attempt to change history in accordance with its ideology and achieving its political goal.

After throwing out the secular minded persons, those subscribing to saffron ideology were being inducted at all levels in the educational system so that they remained there forever even if the Government was changed.

It was ironical that a party which had not participated in the freedom struggle wanted to tinker with the country's history, he said, and called upon the NDA Government's partners not to tolerate these attempts anymore. ``The alliance partners should do a thorough rethinking before they faced repercussions.''

He criticised the tendency of the Central Government to withdraw from the key sectors of education and health, paving the way for privatisation, a move that was bound to hit the poor and the weaker sections hard.

``It is a crass pro-rich policy, amounting to reservation for the rich and taking education beyond the reach of the common man. It is like education to the rich and literacy to the poor.''

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Section  : Southern States
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