Reciting the Gayatri Mantra and other Hindu prayers has been made mandatory by the Chhattisgarh Government in all schools under its education department from the current academic session. The Opposition Congress has described it as an attempt to impose the RSS agenda in educational institutions.

The School Education Department informed all District Education Officers (DEOs) on June 12, that recitals will be mandatory, beginning with the 2026-27 academic session that commenced on Tuesday (June 16, 2026). 

Under the new guidelines, the morning assembly would include the national anthem, national song, Deep Mantra, Saraswati Vandana, Guru Mantra and excerpts from the biographies of great personalities.

The official added that during the mid-day meal, students would recite a food prayer (Bhojan Mantra), while the closing session at the end of the school day will include the state song, Gayatri Mantra and Shanti Mantra.

Foster patriotism

The initiative intends to “foster patriotism, discipline, moral values and cultural awareness among students while strengthening their connection with Indian traditions and national ideals”.

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said on Tuesday (June 16) that the State Government is committed to “integrating Indian culture, traditions and spiritual values with modern education”.

The government has also directed the DEOs to ensure strict implementation of the order. Officials will conduct inspections of schools, and administrative action may be taken against school managements or principals found violating the prescribed guidelines, according to officials.

Against charter?

The Congress has demanded a withdrawal of the move and questioned its constitutional validity in a secular country.

“Recitation of the national anthem, national song and state song is appropriate. But why have the Gayatri Mantra, Deep Mantra, Saraswati Mantra and Bhojan Mantra been made mandatory? The government appears determined to turn schools into Saraswati Shishu Mandirs. Imposing the RSS agenda in government schools is wrong,” Congress spokesperson Sushil Anand Shukla said.

Mr. Shukla said that students of all faiths, castes and communities study in government schools and making the recitation of specific religious mantras compulsory could hurt the sentiments of people belonging to other faiths.

India is a secular country and our Constitution guarantees equal respect for all religions. Education in government schools should not be based on any particular religion, he added.

India’s education system, he asserted, had traditionally treated all faiths equally and warned that mandatory recitation of Hindu religious mantras in government schools could lead members of other communities to demand the inclusion of verses from the Quran, Gurbani or the Bible.