‘We reduced lessons on Tipu, Cong not bothered’: Ex-minister on Hedgewar-syllabus row in Karnataka

Former Karnataka education minister BC Nagesh on Friday slammed the Congress over the row of syllabus change and said though the party was in power at the Centre for several years, it was not bothered about nationalism. Congress leaders were communists and didn't encourage nationalistic views, the former minister said amid the row over Karnataka textbook revision by the Congress in which chapters on RSS founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar may get axed from books.

Speaking to news agency ANI, Nagesh said, “They have now come to the textbooks to divert people's attention. They always give false statements to divert people's attention. Siddaramaiah is a so-called self-declared educationalist, basically, they are communists...They don't encourage any nationalistic views.”

Nagesh further spoke about the Congress government's decision to revise school textbooks for this year. He said, “We made changes (in the textbooks) by taking these people into confidence. But they were hurt by these changes, we removed the lessons on Nehru & reduced the lessons on Tipu Sultan. We brought such lessons that develops a feeling of nationalism among students. Though Congress ruled the country and the state for many years but they are not bothered about the education system. We were practising the same system framed by Macaulay.”

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader CT Ravi slammed Karnataka's Congress government Friday, declaring 'they're in power... but they can't change history' as the row over the ruling party's decision to revise school textbooks intensified. "They (the Congress) can change syllabus... but they can't change the history. Everyone knows about Sangh Parivaar's patriotism... everywhere Sangh Parivaar's ideology is getting stronger... that can't be changed."

Karnataka government's decision

Karnataka primary and secondary education minister Madhu Bangarappa on Thursday said that school textbooks in the state will be revised this year. He said experts would revise textbooks this year to keep in check what should be there in the books and what not. A similar decision will be made in the cabinet.

Initially, the minister said there will be Setu Bandha project which will help in teaching lessons that the students have missed due to no-attending of physical classes.

"The experts will also decide what should be there in a textbook and what should be removed. Moreover. there has been an additional revision in the past as well," Bangarappa said.

"We had said in the manifesto that we will revise the textbook and we will do it", he added. The minister further said that the actions will be taken in the interest of the children.