- Government schools in Chhattisgarh now include daily mantra chanting in their routine
- Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said the practice builds discipline, cultural values, and patriotism
- Opposition accused BJP of promoting one religious tradition in secular schools
The school bell rings. Children line up for the morning assembly. But this academic session, something new echoes through government schools across Chhattisgarh - not just attendance calls and prayers, but the chanting of mantras.
What the state government describes as an effort to instil discipline, cultural values and patriotism has quickly snowballed into a political controversy, with the opposition Congress accusing the BJP government of pushing an ideological agenda through classrooms.
The debate erupted after government schools across Chhattisgarh reopened on June 16 under a revised daily routine that includes the recitation of various mantras at different points of the school day. From the morning assembly to the final bell, students are now participating in structured mantra chanting. The most discussed among them is a mandatory 'meal mantra' before the midday meal, while another mantra is recited before students leave for home.
Defending the move, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said the initiative is aimed at character-building for children. "Mantra chanting awakens spiritual strength in children and helps them become true patriots," the chief minister said, adding that the practice is intended to strengthen values and discipline among students.
Launching a sharp attack, Chhattisgarh Congress media department chairman Sushil Anand Shukla alleged that the government was attempting to convert government schools into "RSS shakhas".
Shukla said that while nobody opposes teaching good values to children, making the recitation of the Gayatri Mantra and other religious chants compulsory in government schools raises serious questions in a secular society. "If mantras are being introduced, will the government also introduce positive teachings from Islam, the Bible or the Guru Granth Sahib? If not, why is the focus only on one tradition?" he asked.
The BJP responded immediately. School Education Minister Gajendra Yadav accused the Congress of being "anti-Sanatan" and claimed that the opposition has historically objected to Indian cultural traditions. "The Congress has always opposed Sanatan values. That is why they are now opposing this initiative as well," Yadav said.
Officials' Take
School officials argue that mantra chanting is being introduced as part of a broader effort to improve discipline, concentration and cultural awareness among students. The principal of Raipur's DP Pujari School said children have responded enthusiastically and that the practice is helping create a more disciplined atmosphere.
The controversy comes at a time when Chhattisgarh's own school education report card has raised uncomfortable questions. In the latest Education Ministry's Performance Grading Index 2.0 for 2024-25, the state has been placed in the Akanshi-2 grade, with a score of 494.6 out of 1000. This is a fall from its earlier score of 570.7, when it was placed in the higher Akanshi-1 band. Akanshi-2 is one of the lower performance bands. No state/UT reached the top grades (Utkarsh or Uttam categories). Top performers (Prachesta-1, 701-760) were only Chandigarh and Punjab.
The PGI 2.0 evaluates states on 70 indicators across learning outcomes, access, infrastructure, equity, governance processes and teacher education. In simple terms, it measures whether children are learning better, schools have facilities, teachers are trained, and the system is delivering.
