Rai slams ‘Brahmanical patriarchy’ question

Varanasi: Following the row over BHU’s exam paper on Brahmanical patriarchy’s impact on women, Congress state president Ajai Rai demand that educational institutions should be kept free from BJP's political and RSS interference.

. “We strongly oppose this question and such a mentality and demand from the university administration that this question be immediately withdrawn. It should also be ensured that in the future, educational institutions are not used for any political or ideological agenda,” Rai said..

A controversy has erupted over a question asked in the fourth semester examination of MA history at BHU. Students affiliated with ABVP staged a protest outside the history department on Wednesday, raising slogans. They demanded that the university administration investigate the matter and take action against those responsible.

Rai said that the manner in which terms like ‘Brahmanical patriarchy’ have been presented as a question in the MA history examination at BHU has forced the entire society to think. The purpose of education is not to generate ill-will towards any caste, class or community, but to guide society in the direction of knowledge, sensitivity and unity.

He said that in India's Sanatan tradition, the Brahman community has always been a symbol of knowledge, penance, education, culture and spiritual consciousness. The Brahman community has made a historic contribution in advancing the Vedas, Upanishads, Indian philosophy, Sanskrit literature and the education system. The mentality of humiliating any caste or placing it under suspicion is against both Indian culture and the Constitution.

Rai said that it is being continuously observed today that the ideological interference of RSS in educational institutions is increasing. . Earlier, a question describing the Brahman community as ‘opportunistic’ was asked in the Uttar Pradesh sub-inspector recruitment examination, which caused a major controversy. After that, an attempt was also made to humiliate an entire community through a film titled ‘Ghooskhore Pandit’ which faced widespread opposition and ultimately the filmmakers had to withdraw the title.

Rai alleged that BJP and RSS want to take the country's education system away from independent thinking and a scientific approach and make it a medium of ideological control. . This is a dangerous trend — the job of universities is to unite society, not divide it, he added.

He said that history should be taught on the basis of facts, evidence and a balanced perspective, not in accordance with the ideology of any particular organization. .