The reopening of government schools for the new academic session in Chhattisgarh has triggered a major political showdown. The Vishnu Deo Sai-led BJP government has introduced a revised daily routine making the recitation of mantras compulsory for students, drawing sharp criticism from the opposition Congress.
The mandate, which took effect when schools reopened on June 16, 2026, structures mantra chanting at multiple intervals throughout the school day—including during the morning assembly, a mandatory ‘meal mantra’ before midday meals, and a concluding chant before students leave for home.
The Political Fault Lines
The initiative has quickly transformed into an ideological battle between the ruling party and the opposition:
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Government’s Defense: Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai defended the policy as a vital tool for character-building and discipline. “Mantra chanting awakens spiritual strength in children and helps them become true patriots,” he stated. School Education Minister Gajendra Yadav added that the chants instill cultural awareness, accusing the Congress of being “anti-Sanatan” for opposing the move.
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Opposition’s Secular Argument: The Congress party has strongly opposed the compulsory nature of the order. Sushil Anand Shukla, chairman of the Chhattisgarh Congress media department, accused the BJP of attempting to turn public classrooms into “RSS shakhas.” Shukla argued that in a secular democratic society, the exclusive mandating of one religious tradition is problematic. “If mantras are being introduced, will the government also introduce positive teachings from Islam, the Bible, or the Guru Granth Sahib?” he questioned.
The Underlying Context: State Education Performance
The intensifying political debate comes at a challenging time for Chhattisgarh’s public education system. The recently released Union Education Ministry’s Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2.0 reveals a downward trend in the state’s educational metrics:
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Grade Drop: Chhattisgarh has slid from the ‘Akanshi-1’ band down to the ‘Akanshi-2’ grade, which sits near the bottom of the national performance scale.
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Score Decrease: The state’s quantitative score dropped significantly from 570.7 down to 494.6 out of a maximum 1,000 points.
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The National Benchmark: The PGI 2.0 evaluates states across 70 distinct indicators, including learning outcomes, infrastructure, teacher training, and governance. Nationally, only Chandigarh and Punjab managed to secure top-tier placements (Prachesta-1), highlighting the substantial ground Chhattisgarh needs to recover in core operational areas.
While local school administrators report that students are participating in the new routines smoothly, the opposition maintains that the administration’s focus should be directed toward reversing the drop in the state’s fundamental learning and infrastructure metrics rather than religious mandates.
If you would like to examine this development further, I can monitor local administrative updates regarding whether any exemptions are being permitted for minority students, or I can pull up the detailed breakdown of Chhattisgarh’s scores across the specific infrastructure and learning outcome indicators in the PGI 2.0 report. Which aspect would you like to explore?
