AHMEDABAD: A Gujarat minister has sparked controversy after allegedly making disparaging remarks about teachers, with a teachers' body demanding an apology and withdrawal of his comments.
Ramesh Katara, minister of State for Agriculture, was speaking at a public event in Godhra town of Panchmahal district on Saturday, marking 12 years of the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre, when he allegedly made the remarks. He contrasted present-day development with earlier conditions and commented on teachers' salaries and conduct.
Referring to the education sector, Katara said that in the past, school facilities in villages were inadequate and teachers worked for low pay. "Today, they receive such high salaries. Yet, their hunger is still not satisfied. They still protest. They protest against Modi Saheb and the government. Ask our elders, they used to work for Rs 500 or Rs 1,000. Today, look at how much salary they get. Still, they are not ready to work," he said.
The minister also alleged that many teachers were distracted by mobile phones during work and advised them to "make others happy" if they themselves were happy. His comments drew strong criticism from a teachers' body affiliated with the Akhil Bharatiya Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasangh, which called the remarks "highly objectionable and condemnable" and said they were factually incorrect.
In a statement, the federation's Gujarat president Aniruddhsinh Solanki said the minister had made incorrect claims about pay commissions. "He mentioned that teachers have received benefits of the 8th Pay Commission and the 10th Pay Commission. This is absolutely and entirely false. He also made a statement implying that teachers remain hungry (for more salary). We strongly condemn these remarks," Solanki said.
"We demand that the minister withdraw the statement and apologise to more than 2.5 lakh teachers of Gujarat," he said. The federation said teachers played a vital role in society and their dignity must be protected. There was no immediate response from Katara to the criticism.
