Row over Bihar Education department cutting festive holidays, here are all the details

Bihar BJP chief Samrat Choudhary accused CM Nitish Kumar of appeasement, claiming the government has hurt the sentiments of Hindus.

"This arrogant government of Bihar is continuously doing politics of appeasement. Uncle-nephew's government (Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav) does not desist from hurting the sentiments of Hindus. Can't Hindus even celebrate our religious festivals in Bihar now? Apart from Deepawali, and Durga Puja, the holidays of Mahaparva Chhath have also been curtailed. This is very unfortunate and unacceptable. The people of Bihar will give a befitting reply to the pioneers of appeasement politics in 2024 and 2025," he posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Meanwhile, Union Minister and senior BJP leader Giriraj Singh slammed the Bihar government.

"The holidays for Durga Puja, Diwali and Chhath Puja have been cancelled by the Education Department, Government of Bihar. Tomorrow it is possible that Sharia will be implemented in Bihar and there will be a ban on celebrating Hindu festivals," Singh posted on X.

Teachers in Bihar's Kishanganj are protesting against the decision. "Holidays were not cancelled in any other district of Bihar except here (Kishanganj). We have come here to hand a memorandum to the District Education Officer and demand to show us the written directive that led to the cancellation of Raksha Bandhan holiday," said Raghibur Rahman, District President of Bihar State Teachers' Association, as reported by PTI.

According to the circular released the Bihar education department head, KK Pathak has cancelled several school holidays. These include Raksha Bandhan, Haritalika Vrat Teej, Vishwakarma Puja, Janmashtami, Bhai Dooj, as well as Guru Nanak Jayanti, reported ANI.

Earlier schools remained closed for six days during Durga Puja, which has now been reduced to three. Furthermore, there used to be a nine-day holiday from November 13 to 21, covering Diwali to Chhath. The revised schedule now includes only a single-day holiday on Diwali (November 12), a one-day break for Chitragupta Puja on November 15, and a two-day holiday on November 19 and November 20 for Chhath Puja.

Chhath Puja, also called Surya Shashthi, is celebrated on the sixth day of Kartik Shukla or six days after Diwali. Devotees worship the Sun God and Goddess Chhathi. The festival is celebrated with great pomp mainly in the states of Bihar and Jharkhand, apart from eastern Uttar Pradesh and northern India.

The updated notice from the Bihar Education Department emphasises the requirement for a minimum of 200 working days in primary schools and 220 days in middle schools. However, factors such as elections, examinations, festivals, and unforeseen natural events disrupt the regular study schedule in schools. Additionally, the inconsistent practice of school closures during festive occasions varies across districts, leading to an imbalance. To establish uniformity in school operations, this adjustment has been implemented for the remainder of 2023.