On Thursday, September 3, 2026, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced a plan to establish at least 1,000 schools run by Vidya Bharati, the educational wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, across the state within the next twelve months.
Speaking at the 74th anniversary celebration of Vidya Bharati held at the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture in Kolkata, the chief minister urged the organisation to expand “nationalistic learning” in every district, municipality and panchayat.
Adhikari highlighted South 24 Parganas and Murshidabad as priority zones, claiming those areas experience a higher incidence of anti‑national activities and therefore need a stronger presence of Vidya Bharati institutes.
The Vidya Bharati Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Sansthan has faced criticism for textbooks that allegedly promote anti‑Muslim narratives and a Hindutva‑centric worldview. Despite the controversy, the CM stressed that the schools will follow a unified curriculum aligned with his government's vision.
He warned that any school failing to sing the full version of Vande Mataram could lose state assistance. “I told them that government aid would stop. They then complied partially. They stood up but did not move their lips. I told them that they must move their lips as well,” he said.
Adhikari also rejected the notion of separate madrasa education, insisting on a single education system for all students. “There should not be separate forms of education: madrasa education and other forms of education. All of it should be one education system,” he asserted.
Invoking the slogan of Hindutva activist Shyama Prasad Mukherjee—”ek desh, ek bidhan, ek nishan, ek pradhan”—the chief minister called for “one nation, one education system” to unite learners across the state.
He further objected to the Minority Development Department handling universities such as Aliah University, arguing that a single higher‑education department should oversee all institutions. Adhikari questioned why the minority department sent a separate list of 27 Muslim students after he had already felicitated board‑exam toppers.
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📰 Source: Siasat Gulf