BJP-ruled states order students and teachers to celebrate PM Modi’s birthday

Like other BJP-ruled states, West Bengal too has issued instructions to district magistrates and education department officials to ensure that lamps are lit on Thursday evening to celebrate the prime minister’s birthday. West Bengal, according to reports, plans to ensure that 80,000 educational institutions are lit up on the occasion. Earthen lamps have been purchased and a budget of two Rupees per lamp has been allotted for the purpose on 17 September. The celebrations will continue until 10 October to mark Narendra Modi completing 25 years in public office.

The ‘Ashirbad-er Diya’ initiative, chief minister Suvendu Adhikari clarified, will have at least 10 million participants in the state. The main ceremony is planned along the river in Kolkata, while state government offices and iconic buildings like the secretariat Nabanna, Writers’ Buildings, the Victoria Memorial and Kalighat Temple will be illuminated on the occasion. More than 80,000 schools are reportedly involved. Students are being asked to light lamps with their families at 7 pm, with administrative instructions for student lists to be prepared constituency-wise. The celebration is meant to express gratitude for the PM’s public service and his pledge for ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’.

While the Opposition parties have condemned the move to coerce government employees and spend public money for the events, teachers and educationists are also aghast. “Why must students and guardians light lamps in gratitude,” asked Swapan Mondal, general secretary of the Bangiya Shikshak O Shikshak-Karmi Samiti, who alleged that beneficiaries of government schemes were being “almost forced” to participate. He called this an insult to beneficiaries.

Higher-education institutions in the state have been instructed to stage a play called Namo-Seva, alongside drawing and elocution competitions. The PTI reported that the play will portray aspects of Narendra Modi’s life and administrative career, with a character playing the Prime Minister on stage.

The script has attracted attention with a report in The Wire claiming that a line in the script claims that sale of diapers went up in Pakistan after the surgical strikes following the Uri attack. Several teachers wondered how appropriate the language is for students in educational institutions. Colleges are learnt to have issued notices to observe ‘Namo Seva Week’.

A directive from Integrated Child Development Services requires every Anganwadi centre to be illuminated at 7 pm on September 17. The responsible worker or helper is expected to be physically present, with district officials instructed to arrange alternative staffing where necessary. Saurav Das, co-convenor of the Cockroach Janata Party in a tweet refers to similar instructions from Madhya Pradesh shared with him.

“If BJP governments had spent this energy addressing the actual problems Anganwadi workers face — poor pay (5,000 to 10,000 rupees), crushing workloads, vacancies, no social security or healthcare, and centres functioning out of crumbling buildings, then perhaps these women wouldn’t need to be “ordered” to praise anyone,” Das posted on X.

The celebration, government sources claimed, will include cleanliness drives, blood donation camps, health camps, Seva Setu camps, rallies, innovation competitions and programmes showcasing beneficiaries of schemes such as PM-Kisan, Ayushman Bharat and housing schemes.

BJP is organising booth-level outreach, including visits to beneficiaries’ homes, distribution of videos and efforts to persuade them to light the ‘Ashirbad ka Diya’. The party has described the campaign as an opportunity to connect with beneficiaries and young people.