After CPIM-led Kerala government took a strong objection to ‘pada pooja’ (foot-washing ceremony) held at various CBSE-affiliated schools run by Bharatheeya Vidyanikethan (BVN), Governor Rajendra Arlekar said “guru pooja is part of our culture”.
On Thursday marking the Guru Purnima (Vyasa Jayanti) celebrations, schools run by Sangh Parivar-backed trusts conducted ‘pada pooja’, in which students were asked to wash the feet of the teachers and offer flowers at their feet.
The visuals of students washing the feet of teachers led to protests in the state.
General Education Minister V Sivankutty directed the Director General of Education to probe the incident. Sivankutty said the ‘pada pooja’ was against democratic values.
