BJP Government’s plans to revise history syllabus in Karnataka decried

The BJP Government in Karnataka has come under fire from the Congress over its plans to revise history syllabus for educational institutions in the State.

Within a month of assuming the reins of power in Karnataka, the BJP Government announced that the blueprint for revising history syllabus was ready, much to the chagrin of the Opposition Congress and secular organizations in the state.

Crying foul over the BJP Government’s reported bid to “saffronise education” in the state, senior Congress leader and former Minister H Vishwanath said Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri’s recent statement on revising history syllabus was a clear indication of the BJP’s plans to “distort” history to suit its communal agenda.

Instead of trying to bring in qualitative changes in the syllabi of subjects like Mathematics and Science for the modern era, the BJP was planning to distort history in the name of revision.

“They are planning to erase the contribution of freedom fighters and glorify people like Godse, who killed Gandhiji, and Golwarkar, an ideologue of Hindutva”, Vishwanath warned.

In this context, Vishwanath recalled the controversy generated by BJP leader D H Shankarmurthy when he held the Higher Education portfolio in the erstwhile JD (S)-BJP coalition Government. Shankarmurthy had questioned the 18th century warrior king Tipu Sultan’s contribution to freedom struggle and branded him as “anti-Kannadiga”, leading to widespread protests in the state.

Vishwanath also sought to caution the public over Kageri’s reported statement that the Government was planning to hand over some Government schools to religious institutions and Mutts. “With Mutts imparting religious education, the secular character of primary schools will be lost. It will lead to sowing the seeds of communalism in young minds”, Vishwanath apprehended.

The Congress leaders also wondered how the blueprint for changing the history syllabus and handing over Government schools to religious institutions could be ready within one month of the Government coming to power. “The move is clearly inspired by the RSS”, Vishwanath alleged.

He also said the Government had entrusted the education portfolios to staunch RSS followers like Kageri, who is the Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, and Arvind Limbavalli, who is the Minister for Higher Education.
If the Government does not retrace its steps on revising history syllabus, Vishwanath said the Congress party will launch state-wide agitation.