Chavan, Omar attack PM's interaction with students

Amidst the continued controversy over the planned interaction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with school children on the Teachers' Day on September 5, Chief Ministers of Maharashtra and Jammu and Kashmir today attacked the move alleging it was "dictatorial" and using "the official machinery for propaganda of an individual".
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said he has no plan to address the students on the Teachers' Day shortly before Modi's proposed speech, contradicting a circular issued by the state school education department three days ago.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said "the entire official machinery is being used as a propaganda machine for one individual".

Chavan said he was not against children being asked to listen to PM Modi but the manner in which it is being enforced.
However, Maharashtra government is cooperating with the logistics keeping "delicate" Centre-State relations in mind, he said and claimed there is, however, "severe resentment" among teachers and parents.
"There is severe resentment about this among teachers and parents but considering the delicate Centre-State relations, my government is cooperating with the logistics. However, the tone of the circular is not good and we will take it up at an appropriate forum," he told reporters in Mumbai.

Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani had yesterday said participation of students in the event was "voluntary" and deprecated attempts to "politicise" the issue.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said "I am more concerned with the fact that we are keeping the children compulsorily in schools to listen to the Prime Minister....This is almost like the North Korean system".
Hooda told a press conference this evening that he has no programme to address the students on the Teacher's Day, on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pattern.
"I don't have any such programme", he said when asked to comment on the advisory issued by Panchkula-headquartered Haryana School Shiksha Pariyojna Parishad that he would address the students and teachers on September 5, barely hours before Modi's address.

The Chief Minister said that even in case of the Prime Minister's televised address, the students' attendance would be optional.
Prime Minister Modi's scheduled pep-talk to about 1,000 selected students in New Delhi would be beamed live to over 18 lakh government and private schools in the country.