“Textbooks should not be tools for spreading the agenda of political parties,” D.K. Shivakumar, KPCC president, said in Belagavi recently.
He alleged that the ruling BJP was spreading the poison of communalism among young minds. “One of the methods of doing this is to change textbooks in the name of revision. Why is the BJP trying to change textbooks and the education system that has been prevalent for over four decades? Have the children who studied from these books not grown up to be educated, and responsible citizens?,” he said.
He was speaking to journalists in Belagavi before a party meeting.
He said that the BJP was trying to divert the attention of the people away from its failures in vital fields like education, health, employment, effective governance, and welfare. “The message is clear. The government is not worried about administration. It is only bothered about electoral prospects by dividing the society,” he said.
“Adaguru H. Vishwanath, BJP leader, has raised some important questions about the State government’s attempts at saffronisation. He has made a direct allegation that the BJP is pushing its sectarian political agenda through textbooks. He has been the Primary Education Minister in the past. The BJP owes him a clear reply. It should answer his questions first, before pointing fingers at the Opposition,” Mr. Shivakumar said.
“The stand of the Congress about this issue is clear. There is no confusion at all. We don’t want the State government to change textbooks. We want the lessons on the ideologies of Buddha, Basava, Ambedkar, Narayana Guru, and Bhagat Singh to be included in textbooks, he said.
