Jaiapur: The Rajasthan government's decision to change the colour of its school uniform has sparked a debate, with the opposition BJP accusing it of pandering to the Congress's top brass.

The earlier BJP government, led by Vasundhara Raje, changed the uniform colours to brown tones in 2017. The Congress said that these colours were similar to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's uniform at the time. The Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government has issued directives to change the colours from the following academic year, nearly three years after taking power in December 2018.

Boys will wear surf blue shirts and dark grey trousers, while girls will wear surf blue kurtas or shirts and dark grey salwars or skirts, according to a school education department order issued on December 8. Vasudev Devnani, a former education minister, said the previous government changed the school uniform colour to give it a new style and a proud feeling, and that the move was made following consultations with students and instructors.

He described the Gehlot government's decision as "extremely disgraceful," saying it was made to appease the party's top brass.  Devnani pointed out that the judgement will place a financial strain on 98 lakh parents.

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