Event on Deendayal Upadhyay to mark Netaji's birth anniversary runs in controversy in Bhopal
A general knowledge examination on Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay,organized by the Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BYJM) - the youth wing of the Bhartiya Janta Party - to mark the 121st birth anniversary of Netaji Shubhash Chandra Bose in Madhya Pradesh ran into controversy. Confusion surrounded the event organised at the MVM College campus in Bhopal on Tuesday, after a booklet titled 'Mere Deendayal', distributed before the examination blamed Jawaharlal Nehru and Mohammad Ali Jinnah of "greed for power".
In the 47-page booklet, a chapter called "Akhand Bharat" read "...Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay had then firmly believed that India could have achieved independence without partition. But Nehru and Jinnah walked into the trap of the British because of their greed for power, leaving Indian dream of independence as undivided India shattered."
The general knowledge question paper distributed had only four questions on Deendayal Upadhyay and 11 on policy and achievements of the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and other ministers in his cabinet attended the events held in Bhopal and Jabalpur. The Chief Minister in his five-minute speech barely spoke 40 seconds on Deendayal Upadhyay while focusing primarily on his government's achievements.
After reports criticising the examination appeared in local media, leader of the BJYM in the state Nitin Dubey said "It was not intentional... we can also talk about Narendra Modi ji in the paper as he is the present Prime Minister". Mr Dubey said "Our purpose is to make the young generation aware about the ideology of Pandit Deendayal ji, he is our ideal."
The Congress party criticised the examination on Deendayal Upadhyay and questioned the contribution of the BJP ideologue and the Rashtryia Sayam Sevak in India's freedom movement. "This is how they are promoting Godse's ideology by robbing public money... BJP is trying to erase the contribution of our freedom fighters", said state Youth Congress President Kunal Chaudhry.
The BJYM claimed that the general knowledge contest was held in 40 countries at 9,154 examination centers where 26, 12, 118 candidates participated, including 3, 98, 554 students who appeared online. The results of the examination will be declared after a week and winner of the contest will get to have "Coffee with CM" besides other "surprise prizes". Opposition Congress in the state hit out at "Coffee with CM" saying unemployment is high in Madhya Pradesh, youth need jobs not coffee.
BJP came out in defence of its youth wing with the state Cooperative Minister Vishwas Sarang saying, "We are not removing anyone's contribution... Congress publicised Nehru a lot as he was our first prime minister... We should not compare leaders' contributions". Mr Sarang said, "Deendayal ji has shown us the way of "Ekatm Manavwaad," which the opposition should accept positively. The BYJM has also written to the Limca and Guinness Book of records to include their event.