By SREYASHI DEY
Paschim Medinipur: Subhash Dutta teaches at a West Bengal government school in the Medinipur district but did not hesitate to enrol his child at Saraswati Shishu Mandir, a school run by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
“I have seen the state of education in the government schools. It’s only about midday meals, free uniform, shoes and bags. But, the (quality of) education is poor, teachers are missing, students have dropped out, and the state of education is in a shambles. But here (at the RSS-run school), I am happy to see how well my daughter is learning. Along with studying, she is learning the essence of Hindu customs, traditions, and culture,” he told ThePrint.
The school came up in Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s speech at a political rally in the district last week. “In Keshiary (block), there is an RSS school. Earlier, RSS had a few good people who valued sacrifice and devotion. But today, it is only focusing on accumulating benefits. This is why the BJP has resorted to dirty games,” she said.
Expanding on what the chief minister said, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Derek O’Brien told ThePrint how the RSS has grown and questioned its funding. “RSS ‘shakhas’ across India increased by 62 per cent between 2014-23. Is the RSS a registered entity? It is neither a political party, a company, nor a charitable trust. So, what is it? It collects funds worth millions from multiple undisclosed channels. Does it pay taxes?” he asked.
This story was originally published in theprint.in. Read the full story here.
