Guwahati: Former Union education minister and BJP veteran Murli Manohar Joshi has linked the recent protests over education to what he described as the reduced priority given to the sector by the Narendra Modi government.
In an interview, Joshi said that “the fault” lies with the government and not the people.
He said, “Education is no longer a priority of the government. The road transport budget is constantly increasing. Private industrialization is a priority, so more money is being spent on it,” and said higher education should not be commercialised.
During the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, Joshi said there had been a demand for a new education policy, but the existing policy was considered good enough and there was no need for a new one.
Joshi said education should create employment opportunities and ensure that people do not feel forced to resort to bribery. “When people see corruption in the judiciary and the pervasive influence of money, they do not hesitate to adopt such practices. The fault lies with the government, not the people,” he said.
Earlier, Joshi had strongly criticised the police action against students at Jantar Mantar, describing the treatment of young people and women as “deeply painful.”