Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday questioned Congress for getting angry over painting classrooms with saffron when the national tricolour also sports one such colour.
“There is saffron colour in our national flag. Why they are angry at saffron colour? The school buildings are constructed in the name of Swami Vivekananda. Vivekananda was a monk. He wore saffron robes. The word Viveka means knowledge for one and all. Let them learn,” he told reporters here.
He also said politicising everything amounts to cheapness.
Earlier Karnataka Education Minister BC Nagesh said about 8000-odd classrooms across the state will be painted in saffron under Viveka project which is named after Swami Vivekananda.
“Is saffron a colour or not? If the architect says that we can paint with Saffron we will go ahead, it’s left to him. The government will not interfere with what the colour should be, and how should the doors, windows and stairs be. We will do it in accordance with the architect’s plan,” he told reporters here.
Moreover, Swami Vivekananda always wore saffron robes, the minister argued and stated that the colour will remind students to vouch for development and innovation.
This plan has come in for criticism from the opposition party, especially the Congress who have raised a bogey against it.
Responding to them, Nagesh said, “Some people are allergic to a colour (saffron) and I request them to remove saffron from their party’s flag too and make it completely green.”
In November too, the minister had stirred a debate when he issued directions to schools and pre-university colleges to introduce meditation for the students.
“It is directed to take necessary steps to introduce 10 minutes of meditation for students in schools and pre-university colleges daily, aimed at increasing their concentration, improving health, positive thinking, stress-free learning, personality development, and thereby imbibing good qualities,” Nagesh had tweeted.
Former chief minister and LoP in assembly, Siddaramaiah had launched a tirade against Nagesh saying that the minister has been stirring up controversies by distorting textbooks, failing to recruit teachers and improve infrastructure.
