BENGALURU: The state government’s decision to provide T-shirts with pictures of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Higher Education Minister Basavaraja Rayareddi along with Swami Vivekananda to students taking part in the 150th birth anniversary celebration of Vivekananda has stirred a controversy with some college prinicipals, teachers and students opposing it.
Speaking to Express, a student from the Government First Grade College in Vijaynagar, said, “We will happily wear the T-shirt with a picture of Swami Vivekananda on it. But why should we wear T-shirts with the CM and minister’s photos printed on them?”
The principal of a city college said, “Though it is a government event, what was the need to print politicians’ photographs on the T-shirts and insist that students wear them? There are students who are members of organisations which are associated with some political parties. Why will they wear these T-shirts?”
Students associated with student organisations like ABVP have decided to skip the event if the organisers force them to wear these T-shirts.
Valedictory today
The state government is organising the valedictory of Swami Vivekananda’s 154th birth anniversary celebrations in the city on Wednesday. Over 50,000 students from various colleges across the state will participate. According to the information from the Higher Education Department, the students will be coming in 900 buses.
Addressing a press conference about the event, Higher Education Minister Basavaraja Rayareddi said, “Swami Vivekananda is not restricted to any political party or a student organisation. We have celebrated his 154th birth anniversary as a week-long event at taluk and district levels. Now, the valedictory will be held on Wednesday.”
The event will be inaugurated by Siddaramaiah. The government is spending `2.5 crore on the event. “Around 100 students from each taluk will take part in the event. We are expecting around 50,000 students from 400 colleges,” the minister said.