Mysuru (Karnataka), March 19 : Senior Congress leader from Mysuru and former Minister, Tanveer Sait on Saturday stirred up a controversy by stating that introducing Bhagavad Gita in the school syllabus is dangerous. "It is dangerous than Covid pandemic," he said. Because of similar decisions, the school children will lag behind in academic excellence. It may be defendable to do politics during elections, but, once in power, secular principles should be followed, Congress MLA Sait stated. The school children have suffered for the last two years because of Covid. Equality should be maintained in academic atmosphere. Inclusion of Bhagavad Gita in the syllabus is as dangerous as coronavirus pandemic, he reiterated. Instead of this, the government should focus on other issues. The court had given clear cut verdict on hijab as well as religious conversions. Forceful conversion is a crime as per the Anti-Conversion bill brought by the ruling government. The same government is violating the rule by including religious matters in the education, Tanveer Sait stated. It is not the question of what is going to happen if Bhagavad Gita is made part of the syllabus. The children's education system does not need this. The focus should be on education, it is wrong to bring religion in the children's curriculum, he opined. The state government should not spoil the academic atmosphere in the state, he underlined. Former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy questioned the BJP government over teaching of Bhagavad Gita in schools. He said, it won't fill empty stomachs. The state is facing thousands of problems and the teachings of Bhagavad Gita won't provide food to people, he reiterated. "Emotional issues are gaining importance in the country. The innocents are being misled. There must be an end to this and we will wait until then," he said. Opposition leader Siddaramaiah said, "we believe in Hindu religion and give equal respect to other religions. We do not have objection to teach Bhagavad Gita, Bible, Quran to children. But, children should be given quality education," he said. /IANS