'Parents must educate children in mother tongue'

Vijayawada, Dec 30: Rastirya Swayam Sevak Sangh (RSS) Sarsanghachalak K S Sudarshan urged the parents to join their wards in their mother-tongue run schools upto eighth standard for protecting their mother-tongue and the country's heritage and culture.

Addresing the elite meet, as part of his nation-wide tour on the eve of RSS Chief Madhavarao Sivarao Gowalker's centenary celebrations here, he said, unforunately people were admitting their children in English medium schools and bringing the western culture in the country's fold.

''I am not against English medium, but at the same time culture and heritage must be protected,'' he said adding the people should knew about their relationship, instead of propagating the ''mummy and daddy culture.'' Mr Sudarshan ruled out his organisation's hand in the assissination of Mahatma Gandhi and said there was a wrong notion among the public that RSS was behind his killing of. Though RSS was not a political outfit, it was striving for the development of the country and the society equally, he added.

He said India is a secular country with all religions being respected and cited an example that countries like China, Sri Lanka and Taiwan had not granted permission to conduct the Asian Bishops Conference in their respective countries. They had also not permitted the visit of, Pope John Paul, he added.

The RSS leader said, India, however, is committed to secularism and granted permission to hold the Conference in India in 1992 paving the way for Pope's visit.

He urged the hindus to forget caste and creed imbalances and live together like brothers to protect the country's sovereignty. It is high time to prove our achievement in the field of bio-technology, software and agriculture, he said ad hoped the people of the country would curb the terrorism.

He expressed confidence that the country would stand first in all developmental sectors in the near future.

UNI