“Bible and Quran are religious texts but the Bhagavad Gita is a book which speaks about values needed to lead life,” Karnataka Education Minister BC Nagesh said on Wednesday, April 27. He said that the Bhagavad Gita cannot be compared with other books like the Quran and Bible, while responding to the Archbishop of Bengaluru, Peter Machado.
Earlier, a controversy erupted when the Hindu Janajagriti Samiti found an application form for Class 11 admissions in Clarence High School in Bengaluru, which stated, "You affirm that your child will attend all classes including Morning Assembly Scripture Class and Clubs for his/her own moral and spiritual welfare and will not object to carry the Bible and Hymn Book during his/her stay at Clarence High School (sic)." The group claimed that the school “violated and misused” Article 25 of the Constitution, which deals with freedom of religion. However, alumni from the school backed the institution and said that it was a practice followed by the school for years, and also pointed out that the school was explicitly set up as a Christian minority institution.
Responding to the issue, Metropolitan Archbishop of Bengaluru Peter Machado said that the accusation of the group was false and misleading.
When asked about this, Nagesh responded that the Bhagavad Gita was not a religious book as it does not talk about religious practices. He further added that it speaks about human values that need to be followed, and so cannot be compared with other religious books.
“We have received complaints that a few Christian educational institutions are forcing students to study the Bible and also conduct exams on it. I have directed the Block Educational Officers (BEOs) to verify it. The schools which are registered under Karnataka Education Act must follow the rules laid down by it, be it a minority institution or other schools. As per the Act, no religious texts can be allowed to be taught in schools,” he said.
Earlier, in an interview to TNM, Nagesh had said that there were plans to bring moral education back in the state, suggesting that the syllabus would include stories from the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Panchatantra etc. “In Bhagavad Gita, there is just information about how to lead one’s life, not rituals or religion. It was narrated to clear Arjuna’s mind of confusion. Today, all of us are also in different types of confusion. So Bhagavad Gita will help people form their thoughts, get moral clarity,” he had said.