Karnataka Textbook Row: BJP Bows Down to Criticism, Orders Rectification

The BJP government in Karnataka has bowed down to criticism from various quarters regarding the revision of textbooks by the committee headed by the Kananda Development Authority President, Rohit Chakratirtha.

The education department has ordered the rectification of textbooks as per the demands of progressive thinkers and opposition parties. Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda had written to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to drop the revised syllabus.

The religious seers of three prominent castes of the state — Lingayat, Vokkaliga and Kuruba — have objected to the revised education syllabus highlighting the ill-treatment meted out to social reformers Basavanna and Kanakadasa.

Vokkaliga seers have objected to belittling of Rashtrakavi (National poet) Kuvempu, who is hailed with pride by the community, and the architect of Bengaluru, Nadaprabhu Kempegowda.

Progressive thinkers and litterateurs have raised objections to the dropping of lessons on social reformer Narayan Guru and freedom fighter Bhagat Singh. The authors have written to the state government withdrawing their permission to publish their work.

The ruling BJP, fearing a backlash as nearly all the communities have turned hostile, finally ordered the rectifications in the school textbooks.

The Karnataka government has directed to add the deleted line in the lesson on “Namma Samvidhana” (Our Constitution) that considers the contributions concerning drafting of the Indian constitution. B.R. Ambedkar is called an “architect of the constitution”.

The state government has also noted that the lessons on social reformers Kanakadasa and Purandaradasa, have been trimmed in the seventh standard social science textbooks and it has directed the publication of full chapters on them.

The state government has also ordered rectification of the content on Basavanna and publication of photographs of Rashtrakavi Kuvempu. It has directed to drop the line in the lesson on Kuvempu that he became a great writer with the help of many people, which was strongly objected to. Students who are not happy with their results can also apply for re-evaluation.

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