This Article is From Aug 04, 2017

'Where's Ram Janmabhoomi?' UP School Quiz On BJP Icon's Centenary

The Samajwadi Party, which lost power in the state to the BJP earlier this year, is sharply critical. "They are not just propagating ideology, they are tweaking and distorting history. Certain questions feel like they are targeting a particular community..." says the party's Juhi Singh.

'Where's Ram Janmabhoomi?' UP School Quiz On BJP Icon's Centenary

The booklet was released by Amit Shah in Lucknow a few days ago.

Lucknow: It's 12.30 in the afternoon and Avdhesh Shrivastava, a BJP district president in Uttar Pradesh's Barabanki, is warming up for his mission over the next few days. A dozen BJP workers including Mr Shrivastava intend to fan out and visit some 100 schools in the district 30 km from Lucknow.

The team is in-charge of a quiz for class 9 and 10 students planned in schools across UP for the birth centenary celebration of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, a BJP icon.

Today, they are distributing a 70-page booklet compiled to help students prepare for the quiz. Samanya Gyan Pratyogita 2017 has a Q and A on subjects linked to the BJP's ideology.

Sample these questions:

Q: Where is the Ram Janmabhoomi? (Answer - Ayodhya)

Q: Who said India is a Hindu nation? (Answer - Keshav Baliram Hedgewar)

Q: Which Muslim invader did Maharaj Suheldo cut to pieces? (Answer -Syed Salar Masood Ghazi)

"If this was the previous government, I would have been stopped. Now with the BJP government here, what is wrong with propagating one ideology? It's the same ideology that has got us victory in elections," Mr Srivastava shrugs.

The booklet was released by Amit Shah in Lucknow a few days ago, when the BJP chief was on a three-day visit to Uttar Pradesh.

Its pages have subjects like India's history, culture, nationalism, important locations across the country and questions on Sangh leaders. Some questions also cover the policies of the Narendra Modi government - like demonetisation.

The Samajwadi Party, which lost power in the state to the BJP earlier this year, is sharply critical. "They are not just propagating ideology, they are tweaking and distorting history. Certain questions feel like they are targeting a particular community..." says the party's Juhi Singh.

The first stop for Mr Srivastava and his team today is the Waris Public School in Barabanki, named after the famous Sufi saint Waris Ali Shah. Booklets are distributed to about 100 students from different sections of class 9 and 10.

Almost all of them fill registration forms for the quiz and pay a fee of Rs 5 each. Again, voluntary, says the BJP.

As Mr Srivastava prepares to leave, a class 10 student, Gopal Tripathi, says: "I guess it is also about what we take away from the quiz. And whether the learning experience will be complete." The comment earns him Mr Shrivastava's approval. "Excellent thought," he says before leaving.
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