The Union government’s directive to screen 'Chalo Jeete Hain', a film inspired by PM Narendra Modi’s childhood, in central schools has sparked criticism from opposition parties, who called it an attempt to turn classrooms into propaganda spaces.

On Friday, Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh said, “…This is a completely wrong decision by BJP. Such things should not be imposed on students. Showing PM Modi’s life in schools is not appropriate.”

The Congress too, on Thursday alleged that the education ministry's new idea of "nation building" is to use classrooms as "propaganda theatres" by forcing students to watch a film glorifying the prime minister's childhood.

In a post on X, Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal wrote, “The Education Ministry has a new idea of ‘nation building’ – classrooms as propaganda theatres. Students are being forced to watch a film glorifying the PM’s childhood under the pretext of ‘character & responsibility’.”

He added, “BJP wants to replace textbooks with PR scripts. Maybe next subject: ‘How to rig democracy 101’ or ‘Mastering jumlas in 30 days’. What our children truly need is real education, skills for the 21st century, and genuine employment opportunities for the future, not state-sponsored hagiography of one man.”

The controversy began after the Union Ministry of Education issued a letter on September 11 to the Central Board of Secondary Education, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan and Navodaya Vidyalayas Samiti, directing schools to screen the 2018 film between September 16 and October 2.

The order came just ahead of the prime minister’s 75th birthday on September 17.

“It [film] will help young learners to reflect on themes of character, service, and responsibility. The film can also serve as a case study for moral reasoning, and support the goals of social-emotional learning, developing empathy, self-reflection, critical thinking, and inspiration", The Hindu quoted the letter as saying.

The ministry also linked the directive to its “Prerana” experiential learning programme, conducted at the historic Vernacular School in Vadnagar, Gujarat, where Modi began his education.

The film was originally released in 2018 and is being re-released across the country, the Indian Express reported.

Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav defended the film, calling it a “masterpiece.” He said, "We admire his perseverance, fearlessness, and diverse qualities, both to the world and within ourselves. I'd also like to thank the filmmaker for creating this masterpiece. To make a film like this with such meticulous care is a new experiment in today's times, capturing a child's strong willpower since childhood, filming it, and then thoroughly testing everything else.”