A Narendra Modi comic that became extremely popular during the election campaign.
During the campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls, comic books eulogizing Narendra Modi's childhood hit the stands. His critics saw in the move yet another instance of idol-worshipping by the BJP. Now the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government in Madhya Pradesh is toying with the idea of including a chapter on the new Prime Minister's biography in text-books meant for schools.
The state's school education department claims that it has been receiving proposals to this effect from all over. Among its proponents is minister of state for school education Deepak Joshi. The Chouhan government has not taken a decision on the proposal yet, but is seriously considering acting on it.
"School textbooks already have chapters on biographies of freedom fighters and even Prime Ministers who have done well. So a biography of Mr Modi in text books will inspire students, as he has had a humble beginning as a tea vendor and now he has become the Prime Minister," school education minister Paras Jain told NDTV.
He said he will very soon be discussing the issue with the Chief Minister and Principal Secretary, after which a draft will be submitted to the state school textbook standing committee. If the proposal received the standing committee's nod, text-books for students from classes III to VI in state Government-run schools will have a new chapter from next year.
The move, however, has been criticized by the opposition Congress. State vice president Manak Agarwal told NDTV, "If at all they want, the ruling party in Madhya Pradesh can include former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's biography in the school text books. It will send a good message. As far as Mr Modi is concerned, it is just a start for him. He has a long way to go and whether he will be able to complete the journey that he has begun successfully is doubtful. The BJP government, by doing this, is hoping to score some brownie points with the new Prime Minister."