The Chief Minister of Karnataka Mr. C.V. Sadananda Gowda announced on 8th January 2012 that Government was seriously considering a proposal to introduce Bhagavad Gita in Schools. The Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mr.  Shivraj Singh Chouhan has already announced that Bhagavad Gita would be included in the school curriculum of the state. The Madhya Pradesh government wanted to create a Guinness record with thousands of school children performing Surya Namaskar on 12th January 2012.  The Madhya Pradesh cow slaughther Act gets Presidential nod recently. According to this act, a person found guilty of cow slaughter would be liable for 7 years imprisonment besides a minimum fine of Rs 5000.

The National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) is concerned about the communalization of education and society. The above Government policies and programmes will have a negative impact in the secular Society. It is against the values of secular fabric of the Indian constitution.  The government should not favour or discriminate against any religion. These policies support one particular religious value ignoring others. The government should not impart any religious instruction in the government or government–aided schools. Christianity and Muslim religion does not prohibit beef consumption. State need not interfere in individual’s religious faiths and food preferences in a secular nation.

The NCCI demands the Government of Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh to respect the values of Constitution of India and various Supreme Court judgments. The various Supreme Court Judgments uphold that secularism was an integral part of the basic structure of the constitution. We demand to withhold these polices so that communal harmony is not disturbed.

Samuel Jayakumar                                                                                   Roger Gaikwad
Executive Secretary,                                                                General Secretary
Commission on Policy, Governance & Public Witness