Fate of children in unqualified hands: Rahul Gandhi on Karnataka textbook row

NEW DELHI: Reacting to school textbook revision in Karnataka, Congress member Rahul Gandhi said in a series of tweets “fate of the children of Karnataka is entrusted to the unqualified hands.” Controversy began in the state over revision of school textbooks. There have been demands for sacking the textbook review committee chief Rohith Chakratirtha for allegedly “saffronising” school textbooks by including in them a lesson on RSS founder’s speech, and omitting chapters on Bhagat Singh, freedom fighters, social reformers.

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“The people of Karnataka have always adhered to the principles of social justice, great unity and humanism. The BJP has gone out of its way to teach children, through textbooks, the life of many greats such as Dr BR Ambedkar, Buddha-Basavanna, Narayana Guru, Kuvempu and others,” Rahul Gandhi tweeted.

ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ಜನ ಸದಾ ಸಾಮಾಜಿಕ ನ್ಯಾಯ, ಮಹನೀಯರ ಏಕತೆ ಹಾಗೂ ಮಾನವತಾವಾದದ ತತ್ವಗಳನ್ನ ಪಾಲಿಸಿಕೊಂಡು ಬಂದಿದ್ದಾರೆ.

Dr BR ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕರ್, ಬುದ್ಧ-ಬಸವಣ್ಣ, ನಾರಾಯಣ ಗುರು, ಕುವೆಂಪು ಮುಂತಾದ ಅನೇಕ ಮಹನೀಯರ ಜೀವನಕ್ಕೆ ಹಾಗೂ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ಅಸ್ಮಿತೆಗೆ ವಿರುದ್ದವಾದ ಸಂದೇಶಗಳನ್ನು ಪಠ್ಯ ಪುಸ್ತಕದ ಮೂಲಕ ಮಕ್ಕಳಿಗೆ ಕಲಿಸಲು ಬಿಜೆಪಿ ಹೊರಟಿದೆ.

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 4, 2022

“It is a disgrace to India of a diversity binge, that the author of lessons on social justice, regionalism and gender equality, excluding the author, is going to teach them the lesson of sterilization,” he added.

The Congress member further said, “Kannadigas have shown many times that when the self-esteem of the state is compromised, everyone is united. The Congress will not spare the children of the text which is fatal to the plurality of Karnataka. The Congress is committed to the protection of Kannada Nadu, Nadi and literature.”

State chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Friday that the Kannada textbooks that were revised by the previous textbook review committee -- headed by Professor Baraguru Ramachandrappa (during Congress government) -- had only seven essays or poems related to Kuvempu, while their number has been increased to 10 in the ones revised by the current committee.

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The controversy had erupted with some organizations raising objections over the alleged replacing of a chapter on Bhagat Singh with an essay on a speech by Hedgewar in the revised Kannada textbook for Class 10.

Meanwhile, various educators have urged the state govt to withdraw the revision of school textbooks as it is “deeply disturbing and antithetical to the core values of our education system and constitution.” In a letter, the educationists and activists asked the government to print and supply the school textbooks which have been in use for many years, after the last revision.