Sanskrit should be made compulsory subject: Haryana Minister

Ambala (Haryana), June 8: Sanskrit should be made a compulsory subject in Haryana schools, a state minister said today, while contending that "anti-India" people have a problem whenever there is a talk about the country's culture, heritage and "our history".

Health Minister Anil Vij, an outspoken BJP leader, said people have been kept away from Sanskrit because of a "conspiracy".

"Sanskrit should be made a compulsory subject in Haryana schools. In this regard, I will soon meet Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Education minister Ram Bilas Sharma," Vij told reporters here. Replying to questions, he said "under a conspiracy, we have been kept away from Sanskrit.

Our 'Shastras' are in Sanskrit and they contain wealth of knowledge..." Alleging that "some people are having problems" with Sanskrit as part of curriculum, he said, "Whenever we talk about our culture, heritage and our history, it is natural that those who are anti-India will have a problem."

Vij, MLA from Ambala Cantt, said the successive governments in the state in the past had failed to offer proper status to Sanskrit.

After the country's Independence, English language "was given duo importance in official works while Hindi was ignored.

But the time has now come when the Sanskrit and Hindi will get importance it deserves," he said. Notably, the BJP government in Haryana is also mulling how Yoga, moral education and the teachings of the Gita can be incorporated in the syllabus for all classes.

PTI