Why should children study distorted history, asks K'taka Minister Priyank Kharge

Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge has said the textbook revision exercise done by the previous government in the state was flawed and raised a question as to 'why children should study distorted history'.

Kharge said this on Thursday in New Delhi.

"Why should we make our children study distorted history in textbooks? Whichever laws raised a concern on the education of our children would be changed. We are clear on this issue," Kharge stated.

Last year a committee headed by Rohith Chakrathirtha deleted the glorifying parts of Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan and added a speech of Hedgewar for Class 10 students in Karnataka. Then Education Minister B.C. Nagesh had defended the move and got the lesson added despite stiff resistance during the tenure of the BJP government headed by Basavaraj Bommai.

Meanwhile, it has been demanded to remove a lesson written by the Hindutva ideologue, Chakravarty Sulibele. Under the title 'Tayi Bharatiya Amaraputraru (Martyrs of Mother India)' the previous BJP government had prescribed it as a lesson.

Last week, activist and senior academician Dr. V.P. Niranjanaradhya met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and submitted a proposal in this regard. He had told CM Siddaramaiah that "inclusion of saffron ideology for the children was not required".

Niranjanaradhya also said that the textbook revision committee headed by Rohith Chakrathirtha set up by the previous government has saffronised the syllabus and insulted great personalities like Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Basavanna, Kuvempu, Tipu Sultan.

He demanded that as the textbooks are already published, the lessons on Hedgewar written by Chakravarty Sulibele and other 'objectionable' content must not be taught to the students this year. The demand is also made to take up revision of textbooks by next year again.