West Bengal CM's plan to expand RSS-linked schools raises questions over pluralism

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari's recent plan to expand an RSS-affiliated school network to 1,000 schools within a year raises questions about the role of Hindu-nationalist ideas in education and the protection of religious minorities. The concern is significant in a state where Muslims make up 27% of the population.

Adhikari wants Vidya Bharati, the education wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), to expand its presence across the Indian state of West Bengal. He has also proposed merging four state education departments, including minority education, into one. Neither proposal alone proves that the province intends to impose religious teaching in public schools. But together, they raise a question: will the government ensure equal treatment for students of every faith?

Adhikari announced the school expansion plan at an event in Kolkata in September, asking Vidya Bharati to establish schools in every district, municipality and panchayat. He called on the organisation to take responsibility for providing "nationalistic learning".

West Bengal already had 313 Vidya Bharati schools, according to The Times of India. The organisation runs more than 12,000 schools and 10,000 Bal Sanskar Kendras across India.

What does Vidya Bharati stand for?

Vidya Bharati is not simply a school network without an ideological identity. Its stated educational vision includes Hindutva, a political ideology that places Hindu cultural identity at the centre of India's national identity. Hindutva is distinct from Hinduism as a religion, which encompasses a wide range of beliefs and practices.

An academic study published by Oxford University Press in 2022, Endless Siege: Education and Nationalism in Vidya Bharati Schools, examines how the organisation's textbooks, school assemblies and other activities reflect Hindu-nationalist ideas. The author describes Vidya Bharati as a network run by Hindu nationalists and says its main objective is to spread a nationalist ideology.

However, Adhikari's announcement does not mean that all government schools will adopt its approach. The proposed expansion concerns schools run by Vidya Bharati itself. But the chief minister's endorsement would give the organisation a much larger presence in the state's education landscape.

Why West Bengal's religious mix matters

According to the 2011 Census, the latest published official religion-wise population data, Hindus accounted for 70.54% of West Bengal's population and Muslims 27.01%. In India as a whole, Hindus accounted for 79.8% and Muslims 14.2%.

Muslims therefore represent a substantially larger share of West Bengal's population than of India's population overall. Any major change in education policy needs to consider how it affects children from different religious and cultural backgrounds.

Adhikari also called for more Vidya Bharati schools in Murshidabad and South 24 Parganas, saying that "more anti-national activities take place" in those districts. Linking particular areas to anti-national activity without substantiation risks stigmatising their residents, especially when the proposed intervention involves an organisation with a specific ideological outlook.

The issue is not whether Hindu traditions or Indian culture should be taught. It is whether the state should actively promote one ideological approach without providing equivalent respect and protection to other communities.

What about minority education?

Adhikari has proposed merging the departments responsible for school education, higher education, technical education and minority education into a single department. He said: "There will be no madrassa education department and others. You keep watching."

A single department could improve coordination and reduce administrative overlap. Merging departments, however, would not automatically establish discrimination against minorities. The important questions are whether minority institutions would retain adequate support, whether their specific needs would continue to receive attention, and whether public funding and recognition would be distributed fairly.

How does this fit the BJP's agenda?

Adhikari's plan to expand Vidya Bharati to 1,000 schools in West Bengal aligns with the BJP and RSS's wider emphasis on Hindu cultural identity and nationalism. Academic research has documented the ideological links between the two organisations and Vidya Bharati's educational approach.

The political context is also important. At the national level, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi heads a coalition government led by the BJP under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The BJP itself does not govern alone at the Centre; its allies formally backed Modi's appointment in 2024. In West Bengal, the BJP won 207 seats in the 294-seat assembly in the May 2026 election and formed the state government.

The provincial initiative therefore comes from a BJP government and seeks to expand an educational network affiliated with the party's ideological partner. However, the available evidence does not establish that the central government directed this particular proposal or that it is part of a formal national programme.