Kerala Opposition Leader Vijayan Accuses UDF Government of Allowing RSS Influence in School Curriculum

Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday accused the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government in Kerala of opening the door for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to indoctrinate young students with a divisive nationalist ideology. Speaking at a press conference in Kannur, Vijayan said the government had allowed a politically loaded question that whitewashed the role of V.D. Savarkar in India's independence struggle.

The controversy relates to a question that appeared in the 'Freedom Quiz' programme for lower primary school students in the Manjeshwar, Kumbla and Kasargod educational sub-districts. The question asked which freedom fighter received the most punishment from the British, and the official answer key named V.D. Savarkar. The inclusion of this question has sparked outrage, with the Students Federation of India (SFI) and the Muslim Students Federation (MSF) demanding an inquiry into who approved it and how it was included in the programme ahead of the 79th Independence Day celebrations on August 15.

Vijayan accused the government of helping the RSS in its attempts to rewrite history from a Hindu majoritarian perspective. He claimed that Savarkar had betrayed the independence movement by siding with the British. "Savarkar urged youth to stay away from the struggle and secured release from prison by writing clemency petitions that betrayed the national cause," Vijayan said. He also described Savarkar as a polarising figure who propounded a two-nation theory that depicted Muslims and other minorities as aliens.

Taking aim at the Congress, Vijayan said it was surprising that a party which claims the legacy of the independence movement had no objection to the RSS trying to inject a divisive narrative into Kerala's secular school curriculum. He further alleged that the Congress leadership's "slow drift to the far right" was visible at the swearing-in ceremony of the UDF government, where the full version of Vande Mataram was rendered. Vijayan noted that the Constituent Assembly had reasoned that only the first two stanzas of the song were secular and inclusive, and could be performed at state functions, while later versions had a pronounced religious tint that could undermine national unity.

The UDF government has not yet responded to Vijayan's allegations. The controversy comes amid an ongoing political debate in Kerala over the role of the RSS in education and the portrayal of historical figures in school textbooks. Critics of the government have demanded a thorough investigation into the matter, while supporters of the quiz question argue that Savarkar's contributions to the freedom struggle should be recognised.

This incident highlights the continuing tensions over history education in India, with competing narratives about the freedom movement and its leaders. The Kerala government has yet to issue a statement clarifying how the question was approved or whether any action will be taken.