62% of military schools handed over to Sangh Parivar, BJP leaders: Report
Mumbai: A recent study by 'The Reporter's Collective' has revealed startling findings, indicating that 62% of military schools in India have been handed over to affiliates of the Sangh Parivar and BJP leaders.
This means that a majority of the schools approved by the 'Sainik Schools Society' under the Ministry of Defense are now under the ownership of Sangh Parivar and BJP-affiliated individuals and organizations.
In Vrindavan, Sadhvi Ritambhara, a Hindu nationalist ideologue and founder of the Durga Vahini, the women's wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), runs the 'Samvid Gurukulam Girls Soldier School'.
Sadhvi Ritambhara, known for her role in the Ram Mandir movement, addressed students at a development camp last June, emphasizing 'respect', traditions, and rituals. In a video shared on the school's Facebook page, girls can be seen expressing concerns about behavior in colleges and on social media.
"What do we find in colleges? Girls smoke cigarettes at midnight. In education centres, women drink alcohol and ride motorcycles, misbehaving with their peers. We never thought that Indian girls would be so out of control. They are posting abusive reels on social media. They are doing a nude photoshoot. They are showing off their bodies in underwear. This shows that these women are mentally ill, these girls have no sanskar," said Rithambara.
Her girls' school in Vrindavan and 'Raj Lakshmi Samvid Gurukulam' in Solan, Himachal Pradesh are among the list of at least 40 schools that have recently signed an agreement with the Sainik Schools Society (SSS), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Defence. SSS runs schools on a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.
In 2021, the central government opened doors for private companies to run military schools in India. The government announced plans to establish 100 new military schools across India in its annual budget that year.
The PPP model allows private individuals to associate with SSS, receive partial financial assistance, and run their own branches. However, concerns have been raised about the involvement of politicians and right-wing organizations in the military education system.
Retired Major General commented that while the PPP model is good in principle, he is concerned about the bias that may affect the nature of education. The involvement of BJP-linked individuals and organizations in the ownership of these schools could impact the outlook of the armed forces.
According to RTI information, between May 05, 2022, and December 27, 2023, at least 40 schools have been approved by the Sainik Schools Society. An analysis by the Collective reveals that 11 of the 40 schools are directly owned by BJP-linked politicians or run by trusts headed by BJP leaders or belonging to BJP-allied parties and crony politicians, while eight are directly run by the RSS and its allies. Additionally, six schools have close links with Hindutva organizations or right-wing and other Hindu religious organizations. None of the approved schools are run by Christian or Muslim organizations or any religious minority in India.
Allotment to BJP party members and friends
From Gujarat to Arunachal Pradesh, a large number of these new soldier schools show the direct involvement of the BJP and its leaders or that they are the heads of trusts. Tawang Public School in the border town of Tawang in Arunachal is the only approved military school in the state. The school is owned by the Chief Minister of the state, Pema Khandu.
In Mehsana, Gujarat, 'Mr. Motibhai R. Choudhary Sagar Sainik School' is affiliated with Dudhsagar Dairy, which is chaired by former BJP general secretary Ashok Kumar Bhavasangbhai Choudhary of Mehsana. Home Minister Amit Shah laid the foundation stone for the school last year. Another school in Gujarat, Banas Sainik School in Banaskantha, is run by the Galbabhai Nanjibhai Patel Charitable Trust under Banas Dairy. The organization is headed by Shankar Chaudhary, a BJP MLA from Tharad and the current Speaker of the Gujarat Assembly.
Shakuntlam International School in Etawah in Uttar Pradesh is run by Munna Smriti Sansthan, a non-profit under the chairmanship of BJP MLA Sarita Badauriya.
The investigation found that several BJP politicians were among those benefiting from the new PPP model. This long list includes BJP leaders from various states. In Haryana, Shri Baba Mastnath Residential Public School in Rohtak is now a Sainik school. It was founded by former BJP MP Mahant Chandanath and is currently run by Mahant Balakanath Yogi, sitting BJP MLA from Tijara, Rajasthan.
Among the newly approved schools in Maharashtra is the Padma Shri Dr Vithalrao Vikhe Patil School in Ahmednagar. It is chaired by former Congress MLA Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, who joined the BJP in 2019. SK International School, Sangli has received approval from Sainik School, founded by Sadabhu Khot, a BJP ally who was a minister in the Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra government in 2014. The approved Syna International School in Katni, Madhya Pradesh is headed by Nidhi Pathak, wife of Madhya Pradesh BJP MLA Sanjay Pathak.
Some of the above mentioned schools are existing schools which have received approval to become military schools. Army schools, like other government-run schools in the country, primarily follow the Central Board of Secondary Education curriculum with some additional subjects such as moral values, patriotism, communal harmony and personality development.
A school run by a foundation under the Adani Group, which is close to the BJP, has also been given SSS approval. Adani World School in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh has been approved by SSS. The school is owned by Adani Community Empowerment Foundation.
Saffronisation of Military Schools:
The list of approved schools is not limited to those owned by BJP leaders, SSS approval has also been given to RSS and Hindu right-wing organizations. Vidya Bharati Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Sansthan (Vidya Bharati) is the educational arm of the RSS. These institutes are also approved. Vidya Bharati is generally accused of rewriting history, preaching and anti-Muslim curriculum. RSS founded Vidya Bharati in 1978. It has 12,065 schools under it, with 3,158,658 students studying. It is probably one of the largest networks of private schools in India. As they mention on their website, they want to build a young generation committed to Hinduism and imbued with patriotic fervor. The report also mentioned that several other Hindu religious trusts, schools run by the right wing, have received approval to run military schools.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Putin meets Iran's FM Araghchi, says Russia ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia
Moscow (PTI): Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday met Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hailed the Iranian people for fighting bravely and heroically for their sovereignty and said Moscow is ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia as soon as possible.
Araghchi, who held talks with Omani and Pakistani leadership before arriving in Russia, met Putin in St. Petersburg and thanked him for supporting Iran, state-owned TASS news agency reported.
"Russia is ready to do everything in its power to ensure that peace in the Middle East is achieved as soon as possible," Putin said during his meeting with Araghchi, which was also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Revealing that he received a message from Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei last week, Putin asked Araghchi to convey his "gratitude for this message and best wishes for his health and well-being."
He praised the Iranian people for fighting "bravely and heroically" for their sovereignty, Iran's state-run PRESS TV reported.
"We really hope that, based on the courage and desire for independence, the Iranian people, under the guidance of the new leader, will weather this difficult period of trials and peace will come,” Putin said.
He also stressed that Russia “intends to maintain” its strategic relations with Iran.
Araghchi said that the world witnessed Iran’s strength in countering the US during the recent war, and that the Islamic Republic is a "stable and powerful establishment."
"With their courage, the Iranian people succeeded in resisting the US aggression and will be able to endure it,” he said.
He said that it became clear that Iran has “great friends and allies” like Russia, and conveyed “warmest greetings” from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian to the Russian leader.
Araghchi said relations between Moscow and Tehran represent a “strategic partnership at the highest level” and will continue to develop "regardless of circumstances."
"We are grateful to you for the solid and strong positions in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said.
Foreign Minister Lavrov said that the talks between President Putin and the Iranian Foreign Minister were "useful and constructive."
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said that Russia is "ready to provide any good offices, any mediation services that are acceptable to the parties."
"We will be ready to do everything so that ultimately peace ensues, guaranteed peace, and that there is no return to hostilities," Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS.
He was asked how Moscow can assist in future negotiations on the Iranian settlement.
Araghchi arrived in Russia after his whirlwind trip to Islamabad, which, according to him, was “very productive” and involved “good consultations" with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, amid uncertainty over the second round of peace talks to resolve the war in West Asia.
"We held good consultations with our friends in Pakistan. The trip was successful. We assessed the outcome of our recent (meetings) and discussed in what direction and under what conditions talks can move on,” Araghchi said in a video posted on his Telegram channel upon his arrival in St Petersburg.
Referring to the second round of talks between the US and Iran to resolve the conflict in West Asia, Araghchi said: "Developments have taken place in the negotiations."
"Despite some progress in earlier rounds, the talks failed to reach their objectives due to the Americans' approach, the excessive demands they made, and the wrong approaches they adopted. Therefore, it was necessary to consult with our friends in Pakistan to review the latest situation,” Iran's official news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.
He said that the trip to Pakistan was a good opportunity to review developments related to the US-Israeli war against Iran, expressing confidence that “these consultations and coordination between the two countries will be highly significant.”
Araghchi arrived at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport early Monday, where he was welcomed by Russian officials and Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, the report said.
The first round of peace talks between Iran and the US, held on April 11 and 12, failed to bring the desired result for the parties to the conflict.
The Iranian minister arrived in Islamabad for the second time on Sunday after a short visit to Oman, where he held talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said on security in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts to end the Iran-US conflict.
After Araghchi left Pakistan for Oman on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would no longer be going to Islamabad for talks with Iran, contending that Washington held all the cards on the matter.
Trump on Sunday reiterated that the US and Iranian officials can talk by phone for a peace solution to the conflict.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
The war began when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top commanders. The retaliation by the Islamic Republic extended the war to the entire Gulf region.
