The officials at M R Gardi Vidhyalaya in Surendranagar have stated that students may have “used the link on their own” to find out how their parents might join the membership campaign after the school found itself in the middle of a controversy over claims that it enrolled its students as BJP members.
On Friday, the higher secondary grant-in-aid school admitted that its students were asked to bring their mobile phones to school in a response sent to the District Education Officer (DEO). It did state, though, that this was done to facilitate the “linking of ration cards with Aadhaar cards” in order to provide scholarships.
The school is located in Wadhwan taluka, Anindra village, Surendranagar. The District Education Officer, A M Ojha, and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had opened inquiries into the event following allegations of the reported membership push.
A copy of the response that the in-charge principal sent “based on principal’s telephonic instructions” states that no teacher at our school has ever coerced a student into joining a political party.
“Students might have used the link to know how their parents can join the membership drive and tried on their own, in which the school has no role,” it said.
Students in Class IX and above are reportedly being enrolled as members of the BJP, and an account on the school’s WhatsApp group is supposedly where these membership cards are generated and circulated.
Hitendrasinh Chauhan, the district president of BJP in Surendranagar, has stated that anybody engaged in what seems to be a “conspiracy to defame the BJP” will face legal action.
The school’s reply with the subject “pertaining to BJP’s praveshotsav (enrolment) in Surendranagar’s school…” highlighted that Mukeshbhai R. Nimavat, the principal, was on leave.
In response, the student said, “Our teacher Raydanbhai had asked them to bring mobile phones to the school and thus guided students for this. Students of Class IX Aadhaar cards with their ration cards for scholarships and registration in G-shala.”
On the other hand, reports claimed that in order for children to register as BJP members, it was required for them to carry their cell phones to school.
According to media accounts, DEO Ojha referred the case to a Class 2 officer for investigation, and the school administration received a notice.
Earlier, Congress had taken a firm stance against the incident. Party leader and spokesperson Dr Manish Doshi accused the BJP of using teachers as tools to gather support ahead of upcoming teacher union elections.
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