New Delhi: Which party dominated the first three general elections in India? Who gave the slogan ‘Garibi Hatao’? And discuss in brief the Congress as a social and ideological alliance — these were some of the questions included in a Class 12 political science paper for the Rajasthan Board exam, held Thursday.
While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has questioned the Congress-led Rajasthan government’s intentions in including such questions, the latter has claimed it has nothing to do with it as the questions are set by independent examiners.
The move has already created a controversy in the state after pictures of the paper went viral on social media, with the BJP demanding strict action against those who had prepared the questions.
Speaking to reporters, BJP state president Satish Poonia condemned the paper, saying, “Is this a political science paper or a paper on the Congress’s history? The party is known for misleading the younger generation. We demand strict action.”
Some of the other questions include: ‘Under what circumstances did the Congress contest the 1967 General Elections and what mandate did it get? Explain’; ‘After Lok Sabha Election 2004, on many important issues a broad consensus has emerged among most of the parties. Explain briefly any two of them’; and ‘How many seats did the Congress win in the 1984 Lok Sabha Election?’
There was also a question regarding the founder of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and one asking, ‘On what basis was the Communist Party of India divided?’
L.N. Mantri, administrator, Madhyamik Shiksha Board (Board of Secondary Education), told ThePrint, “All the questions are based on the NCERT syllabus, which is prevalent in board exams. The questions are from the syllabus and follow all norms. We have already got the questions examined, and as per a preliminary report it was found that it is entirely based on the syllabus. There are a few chapters that are related to the Congress, so the questions reflect that.”
BJP MLA and spokesperson Ram Lal Sharma said, “Rajasthan has a Congress government — and the state, which is a centre of education, is also being politicised by the party. Unfortunately, we saw how the political science class 12 paper is not really about political science but more about the election of the Congress president.”
He added, “So students who would have more knowledge about the Congress would be roped in by the Congress into their party. This is quite unfortunate that they are asking questions only about the Congress.”
“They are in a way trying to teach students only about the history of Congress. The BJP demands that strict action should be taken against those who have prepared these questions, and in future, care should be taken that no such questions related only to a specific party’s ideology are asked,” he said.
(Edited by Rohan Manoj)
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