The government is considering declaring 'Bhagavad Gita' as the national book of India following a demand by a BJP Lok Sabha MP, sources told ABP News. The government is currently taking opinion from various ministries on this.
The development comes after BJP Lok Sabha MP from Maharashtra Gopal Shetty wrote a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on July 5 this year demanding that 'Bhagavad Gita' be declared as the national book. Amit Shah had replied to the MP giving his suggestions on July 18.
On August 1, Under Secretary (Coordination-1) Renu Suri, in an official memorandum, said that instructions were received to send Gopal Shetty's letter to the concerned ministries for necessary action, sources told ABP News
The Ministry of Home Affairs has also sought the opinion of the Education Ministry on this. On August 10, the Education Ministry sent its suggestions and opinion regarding the declaration of 'Bhagavad Gita' as national book.
The Home Ministry has now sought the opinion of the Culture Ministry regarding the matter.
The 'Bhagavad Gita' is among the most important religious texts of Hinduism. It is commonly referred to as the Gita and was originally part of the epic Mahabharata.
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Earlier, in September 2021, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) demanded that the Hindu sacred text Bhagavad Gita be declared as India’s national book.
“Bhagavad Gita can protect the social, cultural and spiritual values of our country, end divisions in our society and make India much more stronger. We demand the Bhagavad Gita be declared the national book of India,” the VHP said.
“It is because of our faulty education system. We demand that the government must make teaching-learning of Shrimad Bhagavad Gita compulsory across all levels of education to stop the erosion of values. It should be made part of the curriculum,” VHP national secretary Acharya Radha Krishna Manodi was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.