Would ensure educational reforms if grand alliance wins power: Upendra Kushwaha

Patna: Former Union minister and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) chief Upendra Kushwaha on Wednesday claimed that his 25-point charter of demands for educational reforms, which he had submitted to the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar, would be implemented if the opposition Grand Alliance was voted to power in the state.

The charter, which Kushwaha had come up while he was still with the NDA and the Union Minister of State for HRD, includes drastic proposals like recruitment of teachers through the state public service commission, total disengagement of teachers from tasks not related to education and making 75 per cent attendance mandatory for students.

It has been long since I had submitted the charter of demands to the state government. I had even offered to sacrifice my party’s political interests if the Nitish Kumar government agreed to these important educational reforms. But it simply did not care, Kushwaha told reporters.

But the demands are important and we are going to press these. From February 02, our party would be launching a state-wide drive during which signatures of one crore citizens will be collected endorsing our charter of demands. A truckload of papers containing these documents would then be sent to the Chief Ministers residence, the RLSP chief who has now joined the Mahagathbandhan comprising parties like the RJD and the Congress said.

The drive is mainly aimed at raising awareness among the people that government schools have, in the recent years, become incapable of providing good education for want of competent teachers. We do not have any hopes from the Chief Minister but the signed documents will be sent to his doorsteps so that he gets a taste of his own medicine, Kushwaha said.

He was referring to an exercise undertaken by Nitish Kumar during the 2015 assembly polls when in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modis DNA remark he had sent samples of nails and hair of Biharis to New Delhi.

The issues raised in the charter of demands are, nevertheless, of paramount importance. I can promise that all these demands would be fulfilled if the Mahagathbandhan is voted to power in the next assembly polls, Kushwaha declared.