To counter RSS, Cong to launch Jawahar Bal Manch for children
The Congress plans to launch Jawahar Bal Manch (JBM) to prepare children aged between 10 and 17 for the future and to inculcate in them Constitutional, secular values to counter the Bala Gokulam initiative of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s ideological mentor, people aware of the matter said. The JBM is being launched after the success of a similar initiative in Kerala, they added.
Ramesh Chennithala launched the Jawahar Balajana Vedi (JBV), named after the country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, in 2007 when he headed Congress’s Kerala unit. “The idea is to inculcate Constitutional values, the spirit of nationalism and instil secular principles in children besides developing their artistic and cultural talents,” JBV chairman GV Hari told HT. “Apart from upholding emphatically the spirit of democracy, secularism, and socialism, the JBM will also seek to inculcate in children qualities of fraternity, equality, and compassion as their ideals of life.”
JBM will organise an online ‘National Dream Photography Contest’ on May 21- 29th death anniversary of former PM Rajiv Gandhi - to kick-start the project.
JBV was set up in response to the Bala Gokulam initiative started in Kerala in 1975. Bala Gokulam was later registered as a nationwide cultural organisation in 1981 to inculcate moral values through weekly cultural and moral science classes for children aged up to 18.
Hari said the JBV in Kerala has a membership of around 2.5 lakh children. He said 32 of JBV’S previous members now hold key positions in the Congress’s students wing, the National Students Union of India (NSUI).
“In terms of branding, the JBM will be completely apolitical but we will aggressively promote it as a strong counter to the RSS which runs the operation catch them young in many parts of the country,” a Congress functionary said.
He said discussions were in this regard held at a meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi in December. “It was decided to keep JBM non-political, but with strong emphasis on its position and strategic importance in terms of sending the right message among children through activities and storytelling.”
Hari said the JBV is now being replicated in other states in view of its “huge success”. “We have already run pilots in Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, and Punjab and will start soon in Rajasthan,” said Hari, who is overseeing the expansion of the JBM across the country.
There is a view in the Congress that the JBM can help it expand its influence with the help of the parent party’s organisational structure. RSS functionary Rajiv Tuli said the Congress should also explain where will it get dedicated, honest and committed teachers like the Sangh. “Instead of making so much effort, they should simply consider encouraging more children to join the RSS shakhas,” he said.