Kushwaha to sit on fast on Dec 8 & 9 against Nitish govt

Union minister Upendra Kushwaha on Monday questioned Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's "Nalanda model" of education through which he said the Bihar government has recruited teachers a majority of whom cannot even properly count from 1 to 100.

Kushwaha, the Union minister of state for HRD, also announced that he would sit on fast on December 8 and 9 to press for allotment of land by the state government to open two Kendriya Vidyalayas in Devkund in Aurangabad district and Nawada.

He said he would sit on fast on December 8 in Devkund and the next day in Nawada.

Kushwaha, the president of Rashtriya Lok Samata Party, an NDA ally, has now picked the issue of education to attack Kumar with whom he has been at loggerheads over sharing of seats in Bihar among National Democratic Alliance partners for 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

RLSP is holding a two-day brainstorming session in Valmikinagar in West Champaran district from Tuesday over the prevailing political situation in the state.

This would be followed by a public meeting in East Champaran district on December 6 in which Kushwaha said he would make a "big announcement".

He criticised the JD(U), questioning Kumar's governance in the field of education.

Kushwaha also slammed JD(U)'s attempt to contrast Bihar's development in education sector on Sunday claiming the state had witnessed two models Lalu Prasad's "Charvaha (shepherd) Vidyalaya model and Kumar's "Nalanda model". Nalanda is the home district of Kumar.

"People of the state wants to know from the ruling JD(U) and the state government as what is the 'Nalanda model'? Is it the same model which has recruited majority of teachers who even cannot properly count from 1 to 100," Kushwaha quipped.

"Is it the same model in which teachers are compelled to move around from block headquarters to the apex court for getting their salary? Is it the same model which has turned 'vidyalaya' into 'bhojnalaya'? Is it the same model in which students scoring zero out of 100 are declared toppers?" he said.

He said, "If this is the Nalanda model, it must be demolished in the interest of poor students of the state."