The future of West Bengal doesn’t depend on the political modification or a change in the government but an upheaval that Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) Saha Prachar Pramukh (Joint Publicity Chief) of Purva Kshetra (Eastern Region), Jishnu Basu terms as ‘social and moral awakening’ leading to a collective introspection in the society, intellectuals and institutions.
In an exclusive interaction with The Statesman, Basu – who is professionally associated with the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics spoke at length on the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, corruption in the education sector, youth and social media, border security, the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).
“The biggest challenge of the Indian youth is to confront the concerted attempt to divide the country through misinformation and ideological influence,” he said.
Basu alleged that foreign agencies were attempting to shape public opinion by using funding, training programmes, digital toolkits and coordinated social media campaigns to influence young minds.
“The social media influencers with large followings are being offered financial incentives to circulate misleading narratives aimed at the country’s youth,” he alleged.
He said protecting the younger generation could not be left solely to educational institutions.
“Families, friends and society at large have an equal responsibility to make young people aware of the importance of preserving India’s unity and integrity,” he said.
Referring to the prolonged recruitment irregularities in West Bengal’s education sector, Basu called for the complete implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, alleging that the policy had yet to be effectively enforced in the state.
“The corruption in school and college recruitment has ruined the future of many deserving candidates who cleared examinations but eventually lost their jobs. Recruitment must be completely transparent and the rights of genuine candidates must be restored,” he said.
Basu also blamed what he termed “Cultural Marxism” for the deterioration of the education system.
“Cultural Marxism and religious fundamentalism had, in certain instances, worked together to create divisions within society, making it imperative to insulate educational institutions from such influences,” he said.
According to him, the ideology seeks to erode faith in India’s democratic institutions among students and teachers.
The lifelong devotee of RSS believes that the destiny of society could not be determined by any single political party.
“Governments must function in the interest of the people, but lasting change can only come when society itself becomes more accountable. Those guilty of corruption must certainly be punished, but legal action alone cannot address deeper social problems,” he said.
Criticising the intellectuals and cultural personalities Basu said, “The poets, writers and the intellectuals should be the harbinger of change but instead of speaking of the change and wrong doings of the society a section of civil society chose to remain aligned with corrupt elements of the society.”
Calling for a broader socio-cultural transformation, Basu said the recent political developments in West Bengal reflected far more than an electoral verdict.
“The people have delivered a verdict against injustice. It is not merely a political victory but a victory of society. Bengal now needs a wider social and cultural awakening,” he said.