BAREILLY: "When was the

(RSS) founded? What is the name of the great leader who founded the RSS? What is the name of the scheme started by PM Modi to clean river Ganga? Which is the place where Lord Rama spent most of his time in exile? When did the Indian calendar start? What is the aim of the government according to Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya?" These were among 100 questions asked in a 'Samanya Gyan Pratiyogita' (general knowledge competition) organised by the

across the state on Saturday to commemorate the birth centenary of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya.

Most of the questions were about the RSS, Modi government schemes, Hindu mythology and trivia about Uttar Pradesh. Nearly 11 lakh students of class IX and X appeared in the exam across the state. The quiz could not take place in 16 districts due to floods and enforcement of section 144 due to the violence on Friday by Dera Sacha Sauda members. Winners will be felicitated and rewarded. The move is part of the ruling party's strategy to influence young minds with its ideology, according to sources.

BJP state spokesperson Chandra Mohan told TOI, "Questions related to nationalism and achievements of India were asked in the competition with an aim to create awareness among students. Nearly 11 lakh students enrolled in 10,000 schools across the state appeared for the quiz. The evaluation will be done at the district level and the felicitation ceremony will be held on September 25. Students who have scored above 60% will get a certificate while the top 10 candidates in each district will bag a reward."

The competition had questions on leaders like Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, Veer Savarkar, Nanaji Deshmukh and Syama Prasad Mookerjee. Students were also asked religious questions, including the name of the pilgrimage site where ice forms the shape of a shivling every year, the state where Somnath temple is situated and the site of the lone temple of Brahma.

Trivia questions on UP included the name of the district which had

, the site of a diesel locomotive workshop, the literacy rate of the state and the date of UP Diwas.

Incidentally, while Mahatma Gandhi had given the slogan of 'Do or Die', the question paper had names of four other persons, including Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Swami Dayanand Saraswati, Lala Lajpat Rai and Ram Prasad Bismil.

Vikas Sharma, in-charge of the competition in

city, said, "After senior party leaders informed us about the competition, we started approaching schools and our target was to reach out to at least 10 schools in each mandal (unit). We told them that the questions would come from a booklet which would be provided by us. After the schools gave approval, interested students got themselves registered."

Chaman Jahan, principal of Islamia Girls Inter College in Bareilly, said, "The competition will help students in sharpening their general knowledge skills. Of the total 450 students in class IX and X, 250 appeared for the exam. After the students received their booklet, we ran special classes for a week to prepare them for the competition."

A class X student, Mantasha Shahid, said, "All the questions came from the book, so the competition was easy for me."