SP logs off, says it's not against computers

Gorakhpur: Samajwadi Party has clarified that the party's manifesto for the Lok Sabha did not at all say anything about stopping use of computers or to ban English education in schools.

Samajwadi Party's youth wing chief and MP Akhilesh Yadav told UNI in Gorakhpur on Sunday that the media report about the SP manifesto on computers and English education was blown out of proportion.

“The party was never anti-computer or teaching of English in schools. But SP always supported that the poor and rural people should not be affected by modern technology or English in the schools”, he said.

“Samajwadi Party always demand for promoting mother tongue as the base of teaching in schools just as it was done in other parts of the world”, he said.

Mr Yadav said the party's manifesto only says that if human labour would be given importance and the work which can be done by human would not be made slave of computer or machines. Commenting on the English schools, the SP youth leader said how can any poor pay so much for their children in such schools.

Meanwhile, people’s and politicians’ reactions to the SP poll manifesto has been varied,

Political reactions:

• BJP speak:

PTI reported that the BJP on Sunday ridiculed Samajwadi Party for "opposing" the use of computer and English education in its election manifesto, saying the party was "still living in 19th century" while the country was beckoning to lead the world in the 21st century.

“It seems to be a manifesto of a party living in 19th century while the youthful nation is aspiring and beckoning to lead the world in the 21st century,” party spokesperson Siddarth Nath said.

“BJP stands for providing the right talent to the right platform to the youthful nation while we have parties like SP which is opposing computer and English education,” Nath told PTI.

Describing computer education as a means to procure jobs, he said the BJP has promised to create 1.5 crore jobs by extending Indian villages with IT facilities.

PAGE_BREAK

• Congress speak:

Meanwhile, in Amethi on Sunday, Priyanka Gandhi, the daughter of Congress president Sonia Gandhi described the Samajwadi Party's election promise to curb English medium education and the use of computers, as strange and not in sync with the times.

“This is a very strange manifesto coming in the 21st century),” she said when asked by reporters to comment on the Samajwadi Party manifesto.

“I would definitely like to meet the person who has prepared the party's manifesto,” Priyanka told reporters in Amethi.

• People speak:

People reacting to the SP manifesto called it ‘Outrageous, illogical and regressive’.

“At a time when English is deemed as a universal language, and has become a prerequisite for good jobs, the decision taken by our former chief minister (Mulayam Singh) is irrational," Ashish Chitranshi, a Lucknow resident whose two sons study in an English medium school in Indira Nagar area, told IANS.

Hemant Rastogi, a Class 12 student of Montfort School, aspires to become a corporate honcho and he too had similar sentiments.

”It's illogical. English has emerged as the common medium for us to get jobs not only in different states within our country, but abroad too,” he said.

”With such a decision against English, Mulayam will only hamper our job prospects,” Hemant added.

”The IT sector has become one of the top job providing sectors. It is surprising why Mulayam is against computers,” remarked Mudit Swaroop, an engineering student of the Babu Banarsi Das College.

Shabnam Hashmi, a social activist in New Delhi, said the Samajwadi Party was "confused".

PAGE_BREAK

"Agreed,” said Hashmi, who’s NGO Anhad (Act now for Harmony and Democracy) does development work in remote areas “that we need to lay emphasis on the national language and regional languages. People need to study in their language at least till primary.”

• Internet reactions:

Mulayam Singh's vow has invited flak on the internet too. An anonymous blog comment on the Samajwadi Party website slammed the manifesto.

It said, “What a manifesto! Why have you opened this website? Why is all this in English? Why do all your leaders speak English? ...Your manifesto is (like) Taliban's ideology to throw our nation into Stone Age. We will ensure that you don't even win one seat.”

"India's advantage is that it has a strong English base - look at the BPO sector. The party is looking at only one aspect that other languages are being compromised, but the motto should actually be to promote but not over-emphasize the need for English - that way the national language and regional languages won't suffer," stressed Vikram Verma, a Delhi-based businessman, while speaking to IANS.

"One has to move forward in life - not go back to the dark ages!" he added.

"No computers, putting a ban on English education is outrageous. They need to focus on more pressing issues like increasing security and generating more employment opportunities," said Shivani Singh, a college student in Hyderabad.

"We're living in an age where saying that you are computer illiterate is a major setback... So we might think of going back to the Stone Age," said Arjun Agnimitra, an computer engineer from Noida.