Punjab RSS schools garner students’ support for CAA

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, January 20

As part of the BJP’s countrywide campaign to mobilise support for the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), the state unit is employing the RSS’ educational wing — the Vidya Bharti Akhil Bharatiya Vidya Sansthan — to garner support for the legislation.

It has fixed a target of 1 lakh signatures in support of the CAA by month-end.

Vidya Bharti has 124 schools in the state and about 50,000 students are enrolled in them. In Doaba, the sansthan has 40 schools.

The primary support comes from Vidya Bharti schools, but functionaries claim that about 100 private educational institutions are also backing the CAA.

Jyoti Batra, a social science teacher at Vidya Mandir in Abohar, said, “Thanks to social media, children are aware of the ongoing developments. A flex has been put up in the school and students from all classes are invited to put down their signature. The campaign is focused on students from Class VIII to X, but students from primary classes are free to take part in the campaign. Some students from Class II to V are also signing in support of the CAA.”

Schools first spread awareness on the CAA among parents during parent-teacher meetings and then students are told about it in the morning assembly. “Many parents are supporting the Act and have started a signature campaign of their own,” Batra said.

Ask parents and they say they are all for the Act. Mahinder, an auto-rickshaw driver from Abohar, said those who had something to hide would oppose the Act. “Both my sons study in Vidya Bharti school. I told them to support the CAA. My elder son participated in the signature campaign. The younger one hasn’t, as he is Class II.”

Is there any pressure on students to sign in favour of the CAA? Ayush Batra, a student of Class XII at Vidya Bharti school in Khamano (near Fatehgarh Sahib), said students were signing of their own volition. “We (students) are free to make our choice. I support the CAA because the Centre needs to have information about its citizens,” he added.

Vijay Nadda, state organising secretary, Vidya Bharti, said: “Of the 50,000 students studying in Vidya Bharti schools, about 40,000 have supported the CAA. Parents are also in its favour.”