Government has asked schools in Chhattisgarh to celebrate valentines day as Parents Day to teach Bharatiya Sanskriti to students. Congress described this act as an attempt to impose Hindutva ideology in the state. A jailed godman advised the state to celebrate Valentine’s Day as ‘Matra Pitru Diwas’, sources said.The Directorate Public Education issued a notice to principals and heads of all schools to observe Matru Pitru Diwas on the day celebrated the world over as Valentine’s Day.
Right wing organizations in the country considers Valentines Day as a colonial vestige which is against Indian culture and will corrupt young minds. Groups opposed to Valentine’s Day, such as the Bajrang Dal and Shiv Sena, had earlier attacked and humiliated couples celebrating the day in many places across the country.The state has been celebrating Matru Pitru Diwas since 2012. In 2015 also, similar instructions were given to the schools, but it is the first time an official order has been issued in this matter.