Manipur HS Students asked to Draw BJP Symbol for 4 Marks in Exam, Question Paper goes Viral

Imphal, February 24, 2020:

Mixing Politics with Art, the Political Science department of the Manipur board, in a recent question paper, asked students to draw the Bharatiya Janata Party's symbol, the lotus for 4 marks.

The paper, that was reportedly put forth to Higher Secondary students in the 2020 election of the Council of Higher Secondary Education Manipur (COHSEM), has come under the scanner as the state is ruled by the BJP party.

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Although the question paper did not specify what the symbol of the BJP party is, students are expected to know the symbol of the ruling party in the State. The question that has stoked the flames of controversy, the 32nd in the paper, reads: "Draw the election symbol of the Bharatiya Janata Party?"

Another question in the same paper asks students to "examine how regional aspirations poses challenge to national integration".

Yet another question in the paper asks students to examine four negative traits in Congress leader Jawaharlal Nehru's approach to nation building.

A snapshot of the question paper is now being shared online via WhatsApp and other social media platforms, and the Manipur board is being widely ridiculed for its alleged pro-BJP stance.

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However, one Facebook user pointed out that this is not the first time that the Manipur board has posited such a "question" to students. "Q29. Draw the party symbol of Communist Party of India. Class 12th Council of Higher Secondary Education Manipur, Political Science 2018. Check that out also", wrote a Facebook user, reminding that the

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