Instead of following the principles of Mahatma Gandhi, today’s Congress has found a rather easy way to popularise Gandhi, by installing unattractive and inappropriate busts of Mahatma Gandhi. A Rahul Gandhi confidante and state Minister for Higher Education in MP, Jitu Patwari had ordered all the colleges of the state to install bust of Mahatma Gandhi to instill patriotism among young students. However this thoughtless initiative backfired as most colleges installed wrong and disrespectful busts of Gandhi.
Following the instructions from the department, officials in Damoh district had directed the colleges to install the busts of Mahatma Gandhi or Gandhi stamb before January 26. In a hurry to install the busts before the deadline, colleges have installed such busts which do not even resemble the Mahatma. Students are stunned over this as in some cases the colleges have even inaugurated the stamb without realizing the humorous fault. Congress government in the state is trying to appear as champion of nationalism in order to check BJP and RSS’ influence in the colleges. With this order it has ridiculed itself as the busts installed by the colleges were disrespectful.
Interestingly, a similar blunder was also criticised by the students in Rewa’s model science college. A bust of Mahatma Gandhi was installed to commemorate his 72nd death anniversary on 31 January, but it raised several eyebrows as it resembled British actor Ben Kingsley instead of the Mahatma Gandhi. British actor Ben Kingsley had played Gandhi’s role in the 1982 biopic that won him the Academy Award for Best Actor. A group of students had even alleged contempt to the mahatma over this, even police had to be sent in to put an end to the bust controversy in Rewa. But the government did not learn the lesson, it went on further with this idiotic idea of installing the Gandhi’s busts.
Congress with such initiatives is attempting to influence the younger generation of the state which seems to be mesmerized by RSS’ nationalist ideology. The government is surprised to notice the influence of ABVP in campuses across the state. As often highlighted by Jitu Patwari, Congress is popularising its own blend of nationalism among the students. Including principles of Mahatma Gandhi in textbooks would have been more benefitting for the students and the state. Propagating Gandhi’s ideas would have also been appreciated by the people but the way Congress ridiculed itself over busts is denigration of the Mahatma. Congress government must shun such futile initiative as it actually distances the students from the principles of Mahatma Gandhi.