New Delhi: Following the Uttarakhand Madrasa Education Board’s decision to include ‘Operation Sindoor’ in its curriculum, a similar cross-party consensus has emerged in Madhya Pradesh.
Leaders from both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Opposition Congress are advocating for the inclusion of this military operation in the state’s school syllabus, hailing it as a “historic triumph for the Indian Armed Forces against Pakistan”.
BJP MLA Rameshwar Sharma articulated the sentiment, describing ‘Operation Sindoor’ as a moment of immense national pride. He highlighted the Indian Armed Forces’ “precise strikes that decimated nine terrorist camps and training centres in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir within just 30 minutes”, emphasising that “Our coming generations should know about it.” This, he asserted, makes its introduction in the curriculum imperative for fostering national pride and awareness.
Echoing this demand, Congress MLA Arif Masood expressed his support, stating that the entire nation demonstrated unprecedented unity when ‘Operation Sindoor’ was launched in retaliation for the tragic Pahalgam massacre.
He likened this solidarity to the spirit shown during India’s freedom struggle, affirming its historical significance. However, Masood added a caveat, suggesting that the curriculum should also address the BJP’s silence on Colonel Sofiya Qureshi.
“I would be happy if the government includes ‘Operation Sindoor’ in the school curriculum. But how the BJP maintained silence on Colonel Sofiya Qureshi should also be included in the curriculum,” the Congress MLA was quoted as saying by the news agency AINS.
The initiative first gained traction when Mufti Shamoon Qasmi, President of the Uttarakhand Madrasa Education Council, announced on Wednesday that ‘Operation Sindoor’ would be taught in madrasas. Qasmi’s objective is to instil a strong sense of patriotism among students, particularly in a state renowned as a “land of heroes.”
He stressed the importance of teaching “stories of armed forces” and “valour of the Indian armed forces” up to the intermediate (alia) level, ensuring that future generations are well-versed in India’s military achievements.
“We have decided to include Operation Sindoor and stories of other military operations done by our Defence forces in the syllabus which will be taught up to the alia, that is intermediate, so that our students get to know about the valour of the Indian armed forces,” Mr Qasmi told media persons in Uttarakhand on Wednesday.
