Bhubaneswar: With the Odisha government planning to change the colour of the uniform of high school students from white-blue to white-hunter green, Opposition parties questioned the choice of colour and alleged that it was an attempt to influence the minds of students and parents.
The BJP and the Congress alleged that hunter green resembles the colour of the ruling BJD which is used in its flag and background.
The state government Tuesday said that students of Class 9 and 10 in all government and government-aided high schools would be provided with white and hunter-green shirts in stripes, pants and green blazers respectively under ‘Mukhymantri Chhatra Chatri Paridhan Yojana’.
Bhubaneswar MP and BJP leader Aparajita Sarangi said the government should have held consultations before changing the uniform colour.
“It is suspected that the changed colour is aimed at influencing the minds of young kids and their parents,” Sarangi said adding that the government instead should take measures to change the quality of education in schools.
Taking to Twitter, BJP MLA Suryabanshi Suraj said: “…Is the state government not indirectly drawing school children towards party ideology?”
Suraj pointed out that schools have also been painted in green colour.
The BJP MLA Dhamnagar also said that Odisha receives an annual grant of Rs 240 crore for school uniform under ‘Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan’.
“Now, the Central funds are being diverted to Mukhymantri Chhatra Chatri Paridhan Yojana,” he alleged.
OPCC campaign committee chief and senior Congress leader Bijay Kumar Patnaik also denounced the government’s plan to change the colour of school uniform.
“The state government should have thought twice before using green as it has political connotations. The ruling party is largely identified with green colour. The government should have kept schools above petty politics,” Patnaik said.
PTI