At BHU, students told to write on BJP, AAP in exam paper

POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR SAID THE QUESTIONS WERE INCORPORATED AS PARTIES WERE A PART OF MA FIRSTYR SYLLABUS

VARANASI: The Banaras Hindu University (BHU) tested the knowledge of its postgraduate political science students on contemporary politics with questions on two ruling Indian parties in their first semester exam — the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party.

“Write an essay on Bhartiya Janta Party”. Never mind the spelling of the proper noun, but this was question number six carrying 15 marks in the exam for the MA part-one subject, titled Indian Political System: Theoretical and Structural Aspects. The students had the option of attempting another essay should they find an article on the BJP difficult to handle. The other choice: “In two era of Coalition Government in India, Discuss the nature of federalism”.

The AAP was part of a shortanswer question in the exam held five days ago. According to students, it was part of another question with five sub-parts, carrying two marks apiece. “Political parties are part of the MA first-year syllabus. So, the two questions were incorporated in the paper. No student had any objection,” said BHU political science professor Kaushal Kishore Mishra, who set the question paper.

Asked why he chose not to frame a long-answer question on any other political party, Mishra said the BJP was on his mind when he was setting the paper.

“There is nothing intentional. A short-answer question about the AAP is also there in the paper,” he said on Saturday.

The students had it easy as one of them said everyone knew the AAP is a political party. “As far as question number six is concerned, writing an essay on the BJP was equally easy.”

It wasn’t a cakewalk for many when they confronted ancient philosopher Kautilya’s political treatise Arthashastra in the context of modern-day goods and services tax, and sage Manu’s concept of globalisation in their exam on “social and political thought of ancient and medieval India” on Monday. Question number five, carrying 15 marks, said: “Write an essay on nature of GST in Kautilya’s Arthashashtra.” The optional question was “Manu is the first Indian thinker of globalisation. Discuss.”

Mishra defended the questions, or rather the topics, saying these were being taught at the university since 1939.