Rajasthan govt revives plan to mark Valentine's Day for Matri Pitru Pujan

In order to counter the growing popularity of Valentine's Day (14 February), the Rajasthan government has once again decided that schools must celebrate it as Matri Pitru Pujan Day.

After the formation of the BJP government in the state, preparations are in full swing to celebrate this day. From next year, the government has planned to include it in the department of education's official calendar of holidays, awareness days and celebrations.

A 'Parents' Worship Day' was first initiated by Asaram Bapu in 2007 as an alternative to Valentine's Day, as he felt Valentine's Day is eating into the Indian national culture. Bapu is currently serving a life sentence in a Jodhpur jail for raping a minor girl at his ashram in Rajasthan.

The previous BJP government had also declared Valentine's Day as Matri-Pitru Pujan Day. The state education department issued an order in April 2018 declaring that all government schools would observe 14 February as 'Matra-Pitra Pujan Diwas' from 2019. The government order stated that parents would be honoured by their wards during the celebration in schools.

However, in 2019, the Congress government in Rajasthan had withdrawn that order.

With IANS inputs