New Delhi: Commenting on the criticism for suggesting that Hindu sacred scripture Bhagavad Gita be added to school curricula across India, Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel, H.D. Kumaraswamy, defended the call, citing rising drug abuse among the youth.
Addressing a press conference at his home office in New Delhi on Monday, he stated, "Youth across Karnataka, including those in Bengaluru, are being ruined by drug addiction. From night till morning, drugs are being supplied continuously at rave parties. It is with the intention of guiding the younger generation away from such a dangerous path that I have stated the Bhagavad Gita should be taught when children are studying in schools at a young age itself. What is wrong in this?"
“With the aim of building a healthy and value-based society, it is my opinion that children should be taught the Bhagavad Gita from a young age. What connection does the Bhagavad Gita have with Manuvad? This kind of mindset itself is dangerous,” he remarked.
Responding sharply to criticism from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Minister H.C. Mahadevappa, Kumaraswamy questioned whether discussing what is good, promoting right thinking, and imparting positive values to children amounts to Manuvad.
“Is writing a letter to the Union Education Minister requesting that the Bhagavad Gita be taught, such a grave crime?” he questioned.
“I have never insulted the Bhagavad Gita, nor will I ever do so. Earlier, while discussing the problems of the state, I had spoken about the Gita. I never said it should be taught to children of only one particular community. I have categorically stated that it should be taught to all children. Minister Mahadevappa must understand this. What is the point of launching personal attacks against me?” he said.
The Minister said he has read the Bhagavad Gita, the Ramayana, and the Mahabharata to the best of his ability.
“Even the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, was deeply influenced by the Bhagavad Gita. Bapu himself described it as his ‘mother scripture,’ equal to a mother. I consider the Bhagavad Gita to be an invaluable text, supreme for guiding one on the path of truth and in the pursuit of knowledge. Mahatma Gandhi had said that the Gita supported him immensely during moments of despair,” Kumaraswamy noted, reading out the 63rd verse of the Gita at the press conference.
Karnataka, he claimed, is rapidly emerging as a centre for drug trafficking.
“The state is becoming a hub for all kinds of rackets. Drugs are being sold openly near schools and colleges. Children are being led astray. Drug abuse is destroying relationships within society. Youth are being lured towards a toxic culture and are ruining their own future.
"Even police officers are getting involved in criminal activities. Such news dominates newspaper everyday. Shockingly, even probationary police officers are being found involved in robbery cases,” he said, taking a dig at Minister Mahadevappa by asking him to reflect on why this situation has arisen.
“The Bhagavad Gita teaches us peace, discipline, and self-restraint. It helps in shaping a complete personality through righteous thought. I, too, am a Minister under the Constitution. Everyone takes oath in the name of God; I did the same. But I do not know in whose name Minister Mahadevappa took his oath,” Kumaraswamy retorted.
“I have never asked anyone to become a Manuvadi. I have only said that reading the Bhagavad Gita helps one imbibe good values. Why is there a need to distort and misrepresent this?” he asked.
Recalling his participation in a Bhagavad Gita awareness programme organised recently in Shivamogga by Shri Sonda Swarnavalli Mahaswamiji, he said revered saints, elders, and parents there had strongly advocated teaching the Gita as part of the curriculum.
“I too felt they were right. That is why I wrote to Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Does that mean I have ever said children should not be taught about the Constitution?” he asked.
--IANS