NDA Ally Protests Bihar Govt's Move to Paint Model Schools Saffron
20 July 2026 | The Wire
New Delhi: In the newest episode of saffronisation of education in India, the Bihar government, in a directive made public on July 20, has ordered all for 551 Model Schools, renamed the Saraswati Vidya Niketan, to be immediately painted saffron. The decision has been widely condemned not only by opposition parties, but also by the Janata Dal (United), who is the state’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s primary alliance partner.
According to a report by The Indian Express, JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar, expressing concern over the development, said, “Education has no colour. It must align only with the spirit enshrined in the Preamble of the Constitution, not with any specific colour on school walls.” He added, “Our other concern is that the names of the land donors for several schools are being placed below the ‘Saraswati Vidya Niketan’ signage. Ideally, the donors’ names should precede the new name.”