Questions about reservations, the victory of the BJP in consecutive general elections and people's "trust" in Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the postgraduate journalism course exam of Madhya Pradesh's Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya (DAVV) has irked the opposition Congress while the BJP said the objections were a non-issue.
These questions were asked in the annual Master of Journalism open-book exams in a paper titled "Analysis of Diverse National and International Issues" which was uploaded on the DAVV website on September 14.
The examinees were asked "is the BJP victory in 2019 general elections an endorsement of the common man's trust in the Narendra Modi government? Explain".
Another question was "what may be the three reasons that the Congress could not get an expected victory in the 2014 and 2019 general elections? Explain in detail with examples".
"Can a one-party system be implemented in the country? Explain in the backdrop of the present situation" and "how useful is reservation after seven decades of Independence and what will be the impact on increasing demand for reservation in society after 10 percent reservation to the poor of the general class" were some of the other questions in the paper.
Questions on "nationalism versus development", the military surgical strikes, Pakistan's Hafiz Saeed being declared an international terrorist, demonetisation and GST and their effects on the economy, triple talaq were some of the other topics that students had to tackle.
Demanding cancellation of the paper, MP Congress spokesperson Neelabh Shukla in a statement said, "It is highly objectionable that DAVV coloured the examination of important faculty like journalism in BJP's hues. The students of this subject should be taught party neutrality in a higher education institute."
Shukla demanded intervention of Governor Anandiben Patel, who is also university chancellor, in the matter.
However, state BJP spokesperson Umesh Sharma said the "questions asked to journalism students are related to current and relevant topics" and the Congress was "making an issue out of nothing".
Meanwhile, DAVV Examination Controller Ashesh Tiwari said anyone having objections to any question in the concerned paper can approach university authorities with a complain and an inquiry committee would probe it.
The paper was uploaded on September 14 and students have to submit written answers by September 19.
