Removing chapter on RSS founder: BJP, Congress lock horns over Karnataka govt’s proposed changes to textbooks | India News
Karnataka primary and secondary education minister Madhu Bangarappa recently said revision of school textbooks will be done this year itself “in the interest of the students”.He said the matter will be soon placed before the Cabinet to seek its consent.
Polluting the mind of children: Congress
“Chief minster Siddaramaiah is personally interested in this, it was also clearly mentioned in our manifesto that we will revise the textbooks in the interest of the students. As we are implementing the guarantees, in the same way in my department we will fulfill what he had said,” Bangarappa had said.+
In its poll manifesto, the Congress had also promised to scrap the National Education Policy (NEP).
Asserting that the act of “polluting children’s minds through texts and lessons” cannot be condoned, CM Siddaramaiah had recently said: “As the academic year has started, we will discuss and take action so that the education of the children is not disturbed.”
Congress MLC BK Hari Prasad, meanwhile, claimed Hedgewar was a “coward” and a “fake freedom fighter”. The BJP has demanded an apology from the party.
Congress showing intolerance: BJP general secretary
BJP national general secretary C T Ravi termed the state’s plans to remove chapters on Hedgewar as “intolerance”.
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CT Ravi on Karnataka government’s proposal to revise school textbooks this year
“They (Congress) had used the word intolerance, this shows that they have intolerance against a patriot. They have the right to oppose ideologically, but they don’t have the moral right to question Hedgewar’s patriotism. Lessons on Marx and Mao who are not from this country and were against democracy can be there in the textbook, but lessons on patriots like Hedgewar cannot be there. This is intolerance, let’s see what they will do and our party will decide what to do,” he said.
‘Congress’s view limited to Nehru-Gandhi family’
Union IT minister Rajeev Chandrashekar said the Congress’s views on history are limited to the Nehru-Gandhi family. The senior BJP leader termed the move as Congress antics to grab attention, and alleged that it has a long history of rewriting the country’s history to remove those who are not part of a “dynasty”.
BJP leader CN Ashwath Narayan has said the Congress should take its own time. “They shouldn’t be in a hurry. As a popular government, they should address the concern of all sections of society. Government has to be inclusive,” he said.
A similar controversy over revision of textbooks had erupted during the previous BJP regime. The Congress had accused the Basavaraj Bommai-led government of attempting to “saffronise” school textbooks by including the speech of RSS founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar as a chapter, and omitting chapters on key figures like freedom fighters, social reformers, and the writings of noted literary figures.
There were also allegations of erroneous content on 12th century social reformer Basavanna and certain factual errors in the textbooks, including accusations of disrespecting ‘Raashtra Kavi’ (national poet) Kuvempu and distortion of the state anthem penned by him.
Initially the allegations were refuted but subsequently rectifications were made in some cases.
(With inputs from agencies)
